


Family

by reason33



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Angst, Anxiety Attacks, Blood and Injury, Family, Friendship, Gen, Graphic Description of Injury, Hurt/Comfort, Natural Disasters, POV Alternating, tsunami
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-10
Updated: 2020-09-30
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:14:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 25,446
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23266816
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reason33/pseuds/reason33
Summary: Seijoh is off to a training camp, but without their ace. While they are separated, a tsunami hits the coast. Will they be able to survive and find each other again?
Relationships: Iwaizumi Hajime & Oikawa Tooru
Comments: 30
Kudos: 52





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone!  
> I finally decided to write my first Haikyuu fanfiction. Please note that English is not my first language though, so please be patient if I make any mistakes.  
> Also, I'm really bad at writing summaries, partly because I don't want to give too much away beforehand.
> 
> And now I hope you'll enjoy reading.

"Iwa-chan we'll miss you," Oikawa chirps and turns around before stepping into the bus. It's friday after school and the team is off to a training camp for the weekend, they'll only drive to the next city and have a few days of practice ending with a practice match against Karasuno. It's just the beginning of the year, but ever since Oikawa heard that Kageyama joined Karasuno, he was eager to play a game against them. At least that's what he told the team and their coaches, but Iwaizumi knows that he is also a bit scared, scared of loosing to Kageyama.  
Iwaizumi sighs. "You're gone for a weekend. Don't make it sound like we'll never see each other again."  
At that commend Oikawa pouts slightly. "But it's not the same without you. Why does the stupid wedding have to be on the same weekend as training cap? Can't you just not go?"  
"It's my moms best friends wedding. You know that she's been here for my mom ever since..." he stopps. "...ever since my dad died."  
Oikawa looks at him for a second and Iwaizumi already sees the pity and guilt in his best friends eyes. Just as Oikawa opens his mouth, he cuts him off: "Don't say sorry now, Shittykawa. It's been a year now, it's okay. And now get into that damn bus before I punch you!"  
"Why do you want to punch me again?" Oikawa whines, but he takes a step towards the bus nevertheless.  
"Because you're annoying and you're making the team wait!"  
"Mean Iwa-chan!" Oikawa pouts again, the he adds: "I'll still miss you!"  
"I know. We'll stay in contact as always. Now stop wasting everyones time and get into the bus!"  
Oikawa sends him one last smile then he walks up the steps and the doors close behind him. Iwaizumi waits until the bus is out of sight. He picks up his bag and turns around to go home. His mom will be all over the place, asking what's taking him so long. Even though the wedding isn't until tomorrow, she still insistet on going there today, just to be save.  
Iwaizumi sighs again. His mother has been an emotional mess over the past few months. Only her friend could pull her out of it, she's been doing good the last two months, she started smiling more often and sometimes Hajime caught her humming to music while cooking. Though sometimes she still has a hard time around cars.  
11 months ago they got into a car accident that killed his father. He can still hear the yelling right before it happened. Hajime and his father had been fighting, he can't remember what the topic was, something stupid probably. Nothing worth fighting over. He distracted his father, otherwise he would have seen the other car coming. He could have reacted quicker. If Hajime hadn't yelled at him, his father would still be alive. His mother wouldn't have gone through months of depression and Hajime wouldn't blame himself for his fathers death all the time.  
But he did yell at him, that did all happen.  
He does blame himself.  
Not that he tells anyone though, not even Oikawa. He just keeps it bottled up, inside of him. And sometimes, mostly when he is trying to sleep, it comes back up again. All of it at once. Then he just lies in his bed and cries. And in the morning he acts as if nothing has ever happened. He pretends that he is fine, because after all he has always been the strong one. To Oikawa. To his mother. And most importantly, to his father.  
\---  
As soon as Iwaizumi opens the door his mother is all over him. "Finally you're home! What took you so long? It doesn't matter anyway. Come on you need to eat! And then you need to pack the rest of your things. Don't forget your suit!" With that she rushes off again, probably to pack the rest of her clothes. Iwaizumi smirks, his mother really is nervous, he hasn't heard her babble that fast in a very long time.  
While he eats his food and watches his mom run around the house like she was stung by a bee, he starts to think again. Of course, he really wanted to attend the Volleyball camp and battle strong team, especially Kageyama, but he knows that his mom also needs him and after all her friend did to help, he has to go. Oikawa will be alright spending a few days without him. It's not like they'll stay together forever. At some point, he and his best friend will have to part ways and live their own lives individually. He knows that, still, he doesn't want to think about that. They've been best friends ever since elementary school, they basically did everything together. It's just hard to give that up.  
But this weekend they'll be fine. It's not like something big is going to happen anyway and as soon as he sees Oikawa again, he already knows that his best friend is not going to stop talking about what the team did and what Iwaizumi missed over the weekend. Sometimes Oikawa really was a pain in the ass, but at least Iwaizumi knows that he is just being honest and happy and that's all he wants for him to be. But not just for him, also for his mother, who is still running around like she's lost her mind. And of course for himself. It sounds selfish, but after all that has happened over the past few months, Hajime just wishes for some normality.  
\---  
The next day goes by pretty fast. They get up early, get dressed, his mother has a hair appointment and Iwaizumi stays by her side the whole time. When she is exited his mom tends to get all fidgety and with that, she talks a lot. She kinda reminds him of Oikawa, just in a less annoying way. He really likes seeing his mom like this.  
Just a few hours later they sit next to each other in a row of chairs, waiting for the bride to show up. The place is really beautiful. The groom and the priest are standing on a small platform which is decorated with pink and white roses and in the background you have an amazing view at the ocean. Normally Iwaizumi isn't all too romantic or too emotional at all, at least for outsiders, but this is something special.  
He glanzes at his mom and when she notices his gaze, she smiles at him, a smile he happily returns. This right here, right now, is a moment he won't forget. The weather is beautiful apart from the wind, which seems to get stonger with time. His mother is happy, which automatically makes him happy and they get to witnness what is going to be one of the most beautiful moments in the life of someone close to his family.  
Speaking of the devil, the bride turns up behind him and everybody stands up. Light music accompanies her as she walks towards the front, where her future-husband is waiting for her with a big smile on his face and in the background you can hear the waves of the Ocean. Once the bride and the groom both are at the front, everyone sits down again and the priest starts the ceremony.  
Everyone is mesmerized at the special event they are wittnessing at the moment. All focus lies upfront on the happy couple, it's no wonder that nobody looks behind them to see the waves getting bigger or the water retrieving further and further into the ocean before they come back in even bigger waves. It's not until the couple kisses and the applause fades that somebody notices the loud roaring sound coming from the ocean.  
"What is that?" The sentence that gets Iwaizumi to look at the person who shouted it, only to find him pointing towards the ocean.  
He follows the direction the man is pointing at and his eyes get big.  
The world seems to stop moving for a split second.  
Then people start to scream.  
But Iwaizumi's eyes are glued to the ocean.  
Suddenly he feels a hand gripping his and knocking him out of his state of shock.  
"RUN HAJIME! RUN!" he hears his mothers voice.  
He tightens the grip around her hand and they run off...


	2. Chapter 2

Just as Oikawa sits down at his usual seat, Mizoguchi starts the engine and just a few seconds later the team is on their way. Just without his fellow teammate and best friend Iwa-chan.

Oikawa sighs as he looks at the empty seat next to him, separating him from the window. Oikawa always preferred the seat next to the aisle because he just likes to talk to people and his best friend isn't always up for conversation, so they decided to sit that way and it's been like that ever since he could remember.

Which is exactly why it feels weird, sitting on a bus and driving to a training camp without his best friend because that hasn't happened before. Not even Last year when Iwa-chan's father died. Of course, his friend missed a few days at school. The first of which he spent in a hospital because of some minor injuries, but then he just needed some time to process everything that happened. Oikawa can't blame him for that. He would've done the same, just with less composure.

Oikawa visited Iwaizumi every day after school, he brought him his homework and made sure that the latter was okay. Not that he needed it anyways. Oikawa can't remember any time he's seen his best friend cry. He's always been too strong for that.

It wasn't until the funeral, where Oikawa saw a single tear roll down his best friend's cheek, but that was it.

When they were younger, he wondered how he could stay that strong and not let his emotions just take over, making him curl up and cry when something bad happened. But his friend could never answer the question, he just shrugged it off and they kept playing.

Once they were climbing a tree and Oikawa slipped on a wet branch, Iwaizumi grabbed his hand and somehow Oikawa was able to hold onto the tree, just that Iwa-chan himself now lost his balance, he fell about 7 feet down. For a second Oikawa fought, he just lost his best friend. Yes, they were very young at that time. But as soon as Oikawa made his way down and jumped next to his friend, the latter one was already on his feet again, looking at his wrist with a strange look and bluntly said: "I think, I hurt my arm," showing Oikawa a bruise around his wrist that started swelling up.

He remembers how his own eyes started watering up as he said: "It's my fault you hurt your arm. I'm so sorry!"

Iwa-chan just gave his friend a strange look, laid his intact arm around Oikawa's shoulders and said: "It's okay. I've got you. It's not your fault, I should've made sure to have a good grip on the branch. Let's go home. I think we still have some milk bread and while you calm down, my mom can look at my arm." And with that, they walked off. Iwa-chan with a broken wrist and still calming his best friend, while it should be the other way round. Yes, Iwa-chan was definitely the tougher one.

"Oya! Why are you smiling like that?" Makki's voice drags him back to reality.

Oikawa looks at him confused for a second and then he answers: "I just thought of how much more fun it would be if Iwa-chan was here instead of you."

Makki smirks: "Really, I just thought the same thing, just with Iwaizumi instead of you!"

Mattsun's head pops up next to Makki's as he holds up his phone and said: "And I just texted Iwaizumi that you're already fighting about who will ask him out first."

That cracks a smile out of Oikawa as well and just a second later, all three of them start chuckling.

\---

The day passed by pretty eventless. After a two hour drive the team arrived at their final destination, they took their stuff into the dorm room and went to eat some lunch. Everybody was excited to have a weekend packed with volleyball and even Oikawa found himself enjoying the time with the others as well as if Iwaizumi was there.

After lunch, they went for a short run and practiced volleyball until it was time for dinner again. By the time food was served, everybody was glad that practice was over for the day, even though they can't wait to play again. You could really call them all volleyball freaks.

"So...," Makki started talking, his mouth still stuffed with rice.

"Where exactly is your future husband?"

"He isn't my..." Oikawa starts, but Mattsun interrupts him: "Both of you cut it. Gosh, I know why Iwaizumi is always pissed. You are just like little kids!"

Makki chuckles: "Just that you normally play along!"

Oikawa could see his teammate's cheeks blush the slightest at the comment. "I have so much more respect for Iwaizumi now!"

"But it's not like we're going to change! And neither will you!" Oikawa notes and the other third year's smirk. "Never!"

After a short break of just enjoying their food Makki speaks up again: "So, where is Iwaizumi now?"

"He is at a wedding, isn't he?" Mattsun adds before Oikawa can open his mouth.

"Yes, his mom's best friend's wedding. He texted me a few hours ago, turns out he is only thirty minutes up the coast."

"Let me guess after you read that you asked him if he can't just stop by for the match against Karasuno tomorrow, didn't you?" Makki teases him again. What he wasn't expecting though, was the slight blush that crept into Oikawa's face.

Makki nearly spat his food all over the table as he started laughing.

Mattsun, who has always been the calmer one of those two, only responded with: "On a scale of one to ten, how annoyed was he?"

Oikawa just shoots them an annoyed glance, his cheeks flushing even more.

After laughing for what seemed to be hours, Makki raised his voice again, suddenly being very serious: "Dude, he is at a wedding, did you really expect him to play on the same day?"

"I don't know. I just thought it was worth a try...It's...it's just not the same without him!"

"Wow, you're even clingier than I thought!"

Just as Oikawa wanted to shout some annoyed and not so nice words at Makki, Mattsun cleared his throat. "Stop! Both of you! Eat your food and then we'll go to bed. It's just a practice match, but we don't want to lose tomorrow, do we?"

Makki tries to say something, but a death glare from Mattsun, makes him return his attention to the bowl in front of him. They spend the rest of the dinner in silence.

\---

Everybody gives his best on Saturday. It's just early afternoon, but the team woke up early, went for a run, had some breakfast then some practice and then lunch. Now they're preparing everything for their match against Karasuno. They still have to drive about 30 minutes, so they've just finished packing the bus and now everyone is just waiting for the coach to start the bus.

You could feel the tension that surrounded the boys, even though it's just a practice match, everybody takes it very seriously. Nobody wants to lose, especially Oikawa. Only once do his thoughts drift off to his best friend, who is probably just sitting at the ceremony, but then he pulls himself together and concentrate on the match, they're going to play in about an hour.

But before that, they have to drive up the mountains, since Karasuno lies on the other side of them.

After a few more minutes of waiting, their coach starts the engine and they make their way through the last streets of the city. Oikawa doesn't even notice anymore because he is so lost in his thoughts about how he is going to beat his former Kouhai.

But it doesn't matter that he closed his eyes for maximum concentration. It wouldn't have made a difference if he left them open.

Because he still wouldn't be looking back.

Back to the horizen right behind the city.

Back to where the tsunami is coming from.


	3. Chapter 3

The water's forcer is way stronger than Iwaizumi had anticipated. Of course, he thought it would be strong, but he didn't expect hit to instantly rip away his mother's hand from his.

He didn't expect it to wipe him off his feet that easily.

He didn't expect it to knock all air out of his lungs or to make him feel weightless and like he was being crushed at the same time.

The water whirls his body around like he was a dummy. Since he can't do anything, he actually feels like one.

The pressure of the water pushes him left and right and up and down. It doesn't take long until he loses every sense of where up and down is. He tries to keep his eyes open, but the water is too dirty for him to see anything. Iwaizumi felt like he is going to die any second. His lungs are screaming at him for oxygen, but he can't get his head above water.

Objects hit him everywhere. Something scrapes along his left arm, making it sting like hell. Something heavy hits him in the back, something else hits him in the head, in the rips, in his legs. He tries to avoid the swimming objects, but again he can't see. He doesn't know where to go, what to do. Again he tries to move, but it doesn't feel like he is going anywhere with it.

So he just gives in, he closes his eyes and lets the water drag him where ever it wants to. But as he wants to open his mouth and give in to the burning sensation inside his chest, which is telling him to breathe in, even though he knows he is surrounded by water, he sees pictures in front of his eyes. Pictures of Oikawa and him playing as little kids. Volleyball practice in Middle school. Hanging around with Hanamaki and Matsukawa. Sitting at the wedding and looking at his smiling mother.

His mother!

His eyes shoot open, the dirty water stinging as he does so. But Iwaizumi refuses to close them again. He has to find the surface. His mother needs him! He can't just give up only because it's easier!

So he starts looking around, watching out for any clues that could possibly tell him where to go, where the much longed-for oxygen would fill his burning lungs again. Where he would be able to find his mother. To hold her close. To reassure her that everything is going to be fine!

There! The water seems to be brighter at his right, so he puts all his force into swimming towards the light. It's his last chance before he would give in and open his mouth to breathe in, whether it is water or air filling his lungs, he couldn't wait much longer, his lungs are already screaming at him to just breathe.

But he fights, the water pressure getting less and less until finally, he breaches the water surface to breathe in.

Hajime just gasps for air, swallowing even more water and starts coughing. But he doesn't care, he just keeps trying to breathe, to ease the pain in his lungs, to stay alive. In between the coughing and the swallowing water he actually manages to breath in air.

After what seemed like hours, he finally manages to regulate his breathing. The force of the water is not trying to drag him in every direction anymore, it just feels like he is swimming in a normal river, only needing very little energy to keep his head above water. Therefore he concentrates on finding his mother.

He screams for her, constantly looking left and right, but he doesn't see her.

With nothing more than his head above the water surface, he barely manages to see further than a few feet. Cars and furniture and other stuff blocking his sight. But Iwaizumi doesn't give up. He looks around again and finds a promising piece of wood. No, it's a wardrobe swimming just a few feet ahead of him. Once again he bundles all his energy and forces his already tired muscles to take him to the piece of furniture. By now his whole body is screaming at him to just give up, but Hajime refuses once more. He is not going to die! He'll find his mother and together they'll make it out of this mess!

Once he reaches the wardrobe, he just holds onto it and lets his feed relax for a few seconds. Then he pulls himself up. At first, the wardrobe gives in to his weight and for a second Iwaizumi is concerned, that it's not going to hold him. Still, he pulls his body up completely and just lays there, waiting and hoping that the wardrobe will hold him.

And it does. Never in his life was Iwaizumi that relieved about laying somewhere.

But he can't rest for long! He still needs to find his mother. Shakingly he hunkers down, trying to find his balance so he won't fall off as soon as he tries to stand up. After a few moments of adjusting, he slowly stands up, once again ignoring all the pain in his body and just concentrating on finding his mother.

When he looks around he sees the full destruction for the first time.

Everything around him looks destroyed. Cars, furniture, wood, and seaweed are swimming around him. In between, he can see lonely bodies, corpses passing by him. Gore fills his throat, but he swallows it down, instantly looking away from a little girl's body swimming by him, head down. Buildings are destroyed, some missing just the windows, others missing walls. Electricity pylons half standing, half lying on what has been a house before. He watches as a car swims by him and he can hear a baby screaming inside of it. But he knows that he can't help him.

He can't lift his eyes of the destroyed buildings and landscape. Can't focus on what he wanted to do. All he knows is that he is overwhelmed by all the chaos around him. He can feel hot tears making its way down his cheeks, mixing with the dirt and saltwater, as he tries to process everything.

A scream pulls him back into reality.

"Hajime!"

Frantically he turns his head around to the direction the scream was coming from, he has to squint his eyes because he is also looking towards the sun, but there she is.

Swimming just a few feet away from him.

His mother.

He wants to jump down, swim towards her, but she yells: "NO! Stop Hajime!"

Taken back, he blinks a few times and just looks at her.

"I'm... I'm coming... to-towards you! Stay!" He watches as she yells back, swallowing water every time she tries to breathe. But he stays and he watches her, trying to get to him. And once again he just feels helpless.

He watches his mother struggling. Struggling to swim to him, to even hold her head up far enough to breathe, but he waits. Not once does he look away, afraid he could lose her for real this time.

Then he hears it. A loud roaring. For a split second, he takes his eyes off his mother.

The shock is probably written all over his face as he sees it.

The second wave.

Without thinking twice, he jumps off the wardrobe, swiming towards his mother.

He won't lose her this time!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I think I actually know where I want to go with this story. Finally!  
> Also, I'll be updating twice a week, on Mondays and Fridays probably.  
> Thanks, everyone for reading!

"Oya, don't be all sleepy, I thought you want to beat Karasuno. How do you wanna do that if you're asleep before the game even starts?" Makki teases Oikawa who stifles a yawn and then shoots him an annoyed glance.

"And I thought I could leave peacefully, now that Iwa-chan isn't here!"

Mattsun clicks his tongue: "No, now that he isn't here, we have to up the game, we wouldn't want you to go all over the top."

Oikawa simply pouts as a response, then the coach calls them to line up and the hurry to the rest of the team. Getting scolded by their coach in front of the other team is the last thing the third years want.

Makki and Mattsun share a last glance before they run off though, they decided to watch out for Oikawa while Iwaizumi isn't around, the latter jokingly asked them to babysit his best friend making Oikawa pout once again, but they know that Iwaizumi really meant it.

Out of the third years, Oikawa is still the most unstable. Usually, he has Iwaizumi, who has been his pillar ever since elementary school, but when the latter isn't around Makki and Mattsun take that place. Though Oikawa has been getting better according to their friend. Middle school was the worst he's ever been, especially during the time Kageyama was around. They heard stories about how Oikawa was restless and always pushed himself further until, eventually, he was benched. Iwaizumi was able to talk some sense into his best friend and he has been okay ever since still they all watch out for any changes in his behavior. Once Iwaizumi told them that Oikawa used to have panic attacks at that time, hardly slept and was just worn out and unsatisfied with everything he did, mostly needing his best friend to calm him down again and Iwaizumi was there even if it meant rushing to his house at 3 in the morning.

And now here they are. Doing their warmups in the same gym as the person that started it all.

Of course, the two third years noticed the high amount of glances their friend was shooting Kageyama and vise-versa. They could feel the tension between those two. And they noticed that Oikawa wasn't as chatty as usual.

"Damn, it's still affecting him!" Mattsun hisses in a short break.

Makki nods: "Yeah, he definitely acts differently. Do you think he is still scared of being replaced? I mean, Kageyama obviously couldn't replace him anymore, but..."

"Sure as hell looks like it. Let's just give it our best during the match. Even if it is just a practice match, we can't lose!"

Makki hums in agreement and the team makes their way to their coaches for the last pep-talk before the game starts.

Both of them wished Iwaizumi was with them right now. He would know what to do.

\---

That is until they're halfway through the second set. The small middle blocker finally shows off and it turns out that he has amazing speed and jumping skills, not to mention that insanely fast quick he and Kageyama pull off.

Still, after another perfect toss coming from Oikawa, Makki spikes another ball on the ground and increases their lead to 17-15.

Just as they huddle together to celebrate, the gym doors open and a man falls through the door, receiving everyone's attention in the process. Quickly he scrambles up, Karasuno's coach already at his sight. The other man pushes his glasses up and explains something to the coach, while he is trying to catch his breath. It doesn't take long until the coaches face turn all white and turn around to them.

"Everybody gather around and take a seat, Takeda-sensei has an important message!"

Shooting each other confused glances, everybody does as ordered.

Once they're all settled, the other man, Takeda-sensei opens his mouth: "I was just informed that there was a tsunami a few minutes ago. It hit the land not far from here. Or to be more exact, it hit the city you were staying at." During the last sentence, he looked at Seijoh.

The message sends goosebumps down Makki's spine. A tsunami? If they didn't have that training match, it would have hit them. But at least it didn't hit Aobajousai, right?

Makki's thoughts are racing and he can hear small voices around him, accompanied by shocked, worried, but also kind of relieved faces. They're all thinking the same. At least it didn't hit them! At least it didn't hit their home! They'll be alright!

That is until he looks at Mattsun, who looks at Oikawa, the latter mumbling something.

"What is it Oikawa?" Makki finally finds his words, also turning all attention on him and his friend.

"Iwa-chan..." he faltered and then he looked up.

But Makki already knows and judging from the sudden grip he feels on his arm, Mattsun knows too. But the rest of the team seems to be confused.

That is until Oikawa speaks up again: "Iwa-chan is there! He is in that city"


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I changed a few things. Kyoutani is already at Seijoh and Ukai is already at Karasuno, so are Asahi and Noya.

Iwaizumi reaches his mother seconds before the wave hits them both. As soon as he is by her side, he wraps his arms and legs around her body and holds onto her. His mom immediately doing the same.

Then the second wave hits.

It's still strong, though not as strong as the first one.

Again the water's force pushes his body underwater, but this time, he doesn't care. He only focuses on one thing, on the person clinging to his body. He tightens his grip as strong as he can not wanting to lose his last living relative. He doesn't want to lose his mother. He can't lose her!

That's the only thought running through his mind over and over, while they're underwater, when they break through the surface, while the water drags them along.

But it's hard. The force is too strong. Slowly his body is noticing all the small cuts and bruises covering him. The torture of trying to keep his head above water. An agonizing pain going all the way from his shoulder down to his left arm. His body grows weaker any second. Hajime can feel the energy leave his body, slowly but steadily. However, he is not the only one feeling that way.

Once the impact on their bodies gets less and less, he can feel his mother's grip loosen. The water just drags them with it, not trying to keep them underwater anymore, but not keeping them up either. As one hand retrieves, he looks down at his beloved mother again.

She looks back at him trying to force a weak smile on her face, but her eyes give her away. Pain, now written all over her face, accompanied by fear and tiredness.

On one side, Iwaizumi wants to let go of her and look for any injuries. On the other one, he is too afraid of losing her. The thought of having her drown the second he lets go, hammering at the back of his head. SO he just keeps holding her. Looking down, making sure she is alive and conscious.

They just look at each other for a long time, then his mother breaks their eye-contact and takes in their surroundings.

"Hajime," she whispers with a hoarse voice and looks back at him.

He slightly raises his eyebrows in response, not trusting his voice yet.

His mom points at something behind him. "There is a small hill, we have to get there. Get out of the water!" Her voice is trembling.

He looks around and immediately sees the small hill behind them. It's not too far out.

Anxiously he looks back at her. "Do...do you think you can make it?" At first, he is shocked at the sound of his voice, not only is it hoars, but he sounds broken!

His mom only gives him a loving look, then she pushes herself away from him and swims ahead, slowly.

He tries to see if he notices any injuries, but the water is too dirty and he just tries to get behind her, not wanting to be too far away from his mother anymore.

Every time he moves, he can feel the pain coming from his left arm, but Hajime doesn't lift it, too afraid of what he might see. So he just grits his teeth and keeps on swimming. Even if the pain is shooting through his body. Even if his muscles feel sore already. Even if he just wants to close his eyes and take a nap. He keeps going, his eyes not leaving his mother's body right in front of him, as the hill grows bigger and bigger and then his mother stands up.

For a second he only sees the dirty brown water running down her body, but as he gets closer, he sees something else.

Blood.

A lot of it!

Mobilizing every bit of energy he has left, he swims the last feet and then stands up as well, not daring to look at his own, probably also bleeding body.

"Mom...you...you're bleeding!"

She looks down for a second, then she gives him a reassuring nod. "I know honey, but we need to get further up the hill before we sit down and take care of our injuries. It's not far!"

Of course, his mother tries to be strong right now. She does it for him. But the tiredness in her voice and the way she slowly moves her body, testing, scared...

Iwaizumi doesn't point it out.

He doesn't voice his fear for her.

He just walks behind her until she sits down with a wheeze.

Worriedly watching her as she examines her own wounds, Iwaizumi sits down next to her.

The view she gives him is scaring and for a few moments, he forgets everything around them and just sees the blood gushing out of his mother's injured stomach. She tries to press her hands against the gape nearly going all the way from her right hip up to her ribs. At the sight, he immediately feels the urge to throw up, but he can't, all he can do is being mesmerized by his mother, just not in a good way.

"Hajime..."

"Hajime!" his mother nearly shouts at him, bringing him back into reality.

"We need to stop the bleeding and cover the wounds up with something!" she says, taking control of the situation.

With another blink, his brain suddenly starts to work again, he looks down at himself, ignoring the blood and dirt covering his body and remembers that he is still wearing the suit. Quickly he takes jacket off and hands it to his mother. She thankfully takes it, somehow tying it around her body to contain the blood flow, while Iwaizumi does nothing but stare at her and wonder how she can be so calm in a situation like this.

After she finished, his mom looks back up at him and he wants to say something but is stopped by her eyes widening.

"Your...your arm is bleeding. We...uhm...we need to look how bad it is and contain the bleeding!"

At his mother's words, he slowly looks down, his brain starting to work normally and the pain hitting him again. His sleeve is bloody all the way from his shoulder down to his wrist and he can see it being torn apart all the way down.

Without saying a word he just rips off his sleeve, which works pretty good, considering it's already been torn off halfway. His arm stings even more as he removes the fabric to reveal the injury behind it, a deep cut down his whole arm.

"Let's wrap the sleeve around your upper arm and then we rip the other sleeve off as well and wrap it around your forearm!" Her voice grows weaker towards the end and before he can react, his mother's face gets white like a sheet and she falls backward.

"Mom!" he screams out and jumps to her side. She is laying on her side, though her eyes are open and looking at him tiredly.

"I'm just a bit dizzy. Do as I told you Hajime. I'm just going to rest for a second!" She reaches up and cups his cheek with her left hand, wiping away a tear, he didn't even realize was running down his cheeks. Despite being scared for her, Iwaizumi does as she said, ripping down his sleeve, this time having to use more force than last time. Then he looks around and finds a rope...or seagrass, he isn't sure about it. He wraps his arm as well as possible with only having one hand, always shooting his mom worried glances in between, checking if she is still conscious. Securing his "bandages" with the rope (or seagrass) he ties a knot and then faces his mother again. Having taken care of his injury, she receives all of his attention again.

Now that he can focus on her laying figure again, he runs his eyes up and down her body once again, trying to access injuries he didn't see before. But apart from a few unimportant cuts and bruises, there is only the gash on her stomach, which seems to be bleeding worse than expected. The grey fabric of his jacket, that she tied around her body, is already blood-soaked and it's that second that Iwaizumi realizes his mother doesn't have much time left.

Without uttering a word, he crouches down at her side, her dull eyes following his moves. Then he picks her up bridal style, not caring about the pain in his arm or the protest of his muscles because his determination is stronger than all of that!

"Ha-Hajime...wha...what are you..." she tries to form a sentence, but it's way too hard for her so Iwaizumi stops her.

"Don't talk! You need to save your energy! I'll carry you to the next hospital!"

His mother tries to say something again, as he starts moving down the hill, but he shoots her a stern look.

"Please, mom! I don't want to lose you! Just hold on okay? You...We're going to make it!"


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've had the hardest time writing this chapter. Also, I've finally figured out how to write two of the key scenes, but the rest is also giving me a hard time...

"It hit the city you were staying at!"

The words echo through his mind and the second Karasuno's teacher told them what happened Oikawa only had one thought: Iwa-chan.

No relief flooded his body, no happiness it didn't hit Aobajousai. No, his thoughts immediately went to his teammate, his pillar, his best friend.

Yesterday they were texting, Iwa-chan sent him a picture, showing him how close to the ocean he is and made Oikawa jealous.

Yesterday he said they would only be a few feet away from the water during the ceremony.

Yesterday his best friend teased him that maybe he'd jump into the water after the wedding, knowing how much Oikawa would love to do so.

Yesterday he wished him good luck for the match and said he knows they'd beat Karasuno.

Yesterday the world was okay.

But just because a tsunami hit, doesn't mean that Iwa-chan was hurt right?

Maybe it didn't hit exactly where he was at.

Maybe there was a warning and they were able to save themselves.

Maybe he was in a building high enough so the water wouldn't hit them.

Maybe...

Oikawa's thoughts are interrupted as he feels a warm hand on his shoulder accompanied by words trying to snap him back into reality. At first, he doesn't register who the person is, because his sight is just blurry. Why can't he focus on the person in front of him? Why can't he see right? Why are his cheeks so wet?

Oh. He is having a panic attack.

That completely snaps him back to reality, or rather, right into his panic attack. Now he can feel the tears stream down his face. He feels the tightness in his throat and chest, which is rising and falling way too fast. Oikawa knows he is hyperventilating, but he can't help himself.

He hasn't had a panic attack in years. Still not knowing what the person in front of him wants he thinks back about what always helped in situations like this. He tries to focus on that, tries to shove all the other thoughts back in his head. But it doesn't work! He can't stop thinking about his best friend, about how he is fighting for his life or maybe even dead already.

Oikawa knows that this thought only made everything worse, as he can feel his hands start to tremble. If Iwa-chan was here he would tell him what to do. He would calm him down. He'd hug him and reassure him that everything is going to be alright. That he only needs to focus on his breathing and that everything will settle down. His best friend was always there for him. He always knew what to do, how to handle any situation. He always calmed him down when Oikawa needed it the most. Iwa-chan was always there to help him, during every scraped knee, sprained wrist, a bad breakup, his knee injury, when the demons in his head grew too big. His best friend has always been at his side, taking care of him. How is he going to solve this without him? Without Iwa-chan...

A hard slap across his cheek clears the fog a little bit. It was enough for him to shake him out of his thought and he can hear the voice again. Oikawa knows that this is his chance of beating his panic attack.

With all his strength and closing his eyes to make it just a bit easier he focuses on the voice in front of him and only on that. At first, the words he hears are too ragged to understand, but slowly the fog around his head clears just enough to understand and to realize who the voice belongs to.

Mattsun's deep voice keeps saying the same words over and over: "Oikawa focus on my voice, give me a sign if you understand me!"

With the fog getting less and less, but not disappearing completely, Oikawa opens his eyes. He blinks a few times, but then he locks eyes with Mattsun, signaling him that he hears him.

A small smile crosses the male in front of him as he says: "Great Oikawa. Now try to breathe with me okay?" After that, Mattsun takes his hand and places it on his chest, just like Iwa-chan always did. Rapidly Oikawa shakes his head to make that image disappear, not wanting it to start all over again.

He can feel the soft raising and falling of his teammate's chest. Together with watching Mattsun lift and lower his arm with every breath, he follows his instructions and after a while notices that he starts to calm down again. Some time ago the tears started falling and slowly but surely his breathing gets back to normal and just a few minutes later Oikawa takes his hand off his friend's chest.

He then wipes his tears away and then takes a few shaky breaths before looking at his friend again. "Th-thanks!" he doesn't say more afraid that his voice will break.

Mattsun softly nudges his shoulder and asks: "No problem. Are you alright?!"

Oikawa nods and sends him a small smile. Then he notices the emptiness around him, except for Mattsun, Makki, Coach Irihata and Takeda-sensei, nobody was in the gym anymore.

His coach probably noticed his confusion because he says: "When Hanamaki realized you had a panic attack, we figured it'd be the best if this place wasn't as crowded and we send them out."

Oikawa just nods again, a bit of relief flooding his body, hopefully, they didn't see too much of his breakdown, he was the team captain after all and he had a reputation to lose.

Takeda hands him a water bottle and says: "I'm glad you're feeling better again, but would you mind sharing what exactly triggered the attack? We didn't really understand what you said beforehand."

Thankfully Oikawa grabs the bottle and takes a big sip of water while looking at his friends. He still didn't think he'd be able to form a proper sentence, not after the severity of his attack and not about the topic that caused it in the first place.

"What he was trying to say was," Mattsun spoke up. "Our teammate Iwaizumi isn't here today because he has...had to attend a wedding, which we found out happened to be in the same city we are or were staying at."

A heavy silence filled the room after that. The adults exchanging worried looks before his coach crouched down in front of Oikawa.

"Listen Oikawa. We don't know any details about the tsunami okay? We don't know how strong or big it was or where it hit exactly, we also don't know if Iwazumi was even affected by it. Let's not jump to conclusions and just wait and see how the situation develops okay?

Oikawa nods again, finding a little bit of hope in the words.

Irihata stands up again. "So now we have to figure out what we're going to do, but I'd like to do that while everyone is present, especially every adult. Are you okay if we let the others in again, Oikawa?"

Another simple nod, even though Oikawa doesn't really want to face anyone right now. He doesn't want the pity, doesn't want to be remembered as the one who had a panic attack, the one who cried in front of his teammates.

Suddenly he feels a hand on his shoulder, again. He looks up, only to meet Mattsun's gaze.

"Don't worry! They'll understand! You're still the same person, you're still our respected captain!"

"Just that now everybody knows you are actually a human being, who has feelings and doesn't just care about volleyball, girls, and looks." Makki interrupts Mattsun and receives a hit against his arm for that.

"Stop being so stupid and act serious for once!" Mattsun nags and Oikawa just smiles, relieved that his friends are still themselves.

"Seriously though," Makki says and faces him. "You don't have to be scared! We're all just human beings and everyone knows how close you and Iwaizumi are. Nobody will judge you for that!"


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading and commenting, you all are just great and it makes my day better every time I can respond to your feedback and ideas.

One step in front of another.

One breath after another.

Another step.

Another breath.

In an endless cycle.

Focused on his path, Iwaizumi keeps going. He keeps stepping over objects and bodies, over destroyed land, broken things, he just sets one foot in front of the other. It feels like an endless journey like he has been walking for hours, but with no avail. Everything around him looks the same and it doesn't take long for him to lose every sense in time or space.

But that doesn't matter, he just has to focus on his way, on how to get his mother to a hospital.

His mother. Still lying in his arms, her breathing shallow but steady, eyes closed.

Every once in a while Iwaizumi has to look down, not just to make sure she is still alive, but to remind himself why he is doing this. Why he is putting his body through torture. And there he is again, giving in to his thoughts, letting his body scream at him again. The pain gets worse with every step he takes. His feet hurt from his uncomfortable dress shoes. His legs hurt from the weight of having to transport two bodies over rough terrain. His throat is aching from all the saltwater he swallowed and at the same time screaming at him to drink some water, just that he doesn't have any. His head aches, probably because of the lack of water and constantly being in the sun. But his arm hurts the most.

Whenever he checks for his mother, he can see more blood soak the makeshift bandaged covering it up and it feels like the pain is gradually becoming worse. The open wound is one thing, but having to carry someone for hours is another. He knows that he can't take it any longer, is basically running on pure willpower. His arms started trembling a long time ago, his injured arm going numb from time to time until he readjusts the grip on his mother, which sends even more pain through his body.

And every time his mother's face reminds him why he is doing it and he looks ahead again and repeats the same words until he loses his focus again.

One step in front of another.

One breath after another.

Another step.

Another breath.

"Hajime!"

At first, he doesn't notice the small whisper coming from below, too focused on his task of getting to the hospital. Then a small hand reaches up, softly stroking the side of his jaw.

He stops dead in the tracks, not expecting his mother to be conscious. But when he looks down and his eyes connect with hers tiredly looking up at him, he starts walking again. "Save you energy mom!" he says, hoping she knows that it's the only thing she should be doing right now.

But instead, she whispers again: "Hajime! Stop!"

Slowing down, but not stopping completely, he locks eyes with her once again.

"Take...a break," she whispers hoarsely, but Iwaizumi shakes his head.

"I need to get you to a hospital, I can't stop now!"

"Hajime!" this time she sounds more urgent even though her voice is still smaller than normal. Coming to a halt, he looks down again.

"Please...Hajime." she is begging him and it breaks his heart to see her this vulnerable, this broken. He sighs and looks up again, once he found what he was searching for, he takes a step before saying: "There is a shady tree just a few feet away, I...I will stop there okay?" he responds with a stutter, hating how weak he sounds, now that his mom needs him the most. But she seems happy, sending him a small smile and nodding softly.

Just a few painful steps later, he crouches down and sets his mother on the ground. He then continues to shift a bit, so his back is being held up by the tree and his mother's head is resting in his lap from where she watches him with exhausted eyes.

"Hajime...," she starts again, but he cuts her off softly.

"No mom, save your energy, you'll need it so we can get to the hospital.

Again she sends him a small but loving smile. "No Hajime!"

That startles Iwaizumi and he looks down at her, even more alert than before. "No what?" he asks with an insecure undertone.

"I...I have to tell you...something!"

He shakes his head yet again: "You can do that at the hospital!"

"No, I can't! I won't make it there!"

His eyes start to water up as he frantically shakes his head, not wanting to believe her words, not wanting to give up, not wanting to let her go.

"Don't say that! We just rest and then we will keep walking and we will reach a hospital and there the doctors will patch us up and just a few days later we are going to walk out of there! You and me together! We will walk next to each other and smile and then we come home and continue with our everyday lives. You'll go to work and I'll go to school and in the evenings we will spend some mother-son-time and that's how we're going to do it until I graduate and then..." he sputters and only stops when he can feel his mother's hand on his cheek again. Still holding back his tears, he just stares at her shaking her head and then he lays his hand over hers.

"Hajime...you...you know that is not going to happen. It's time for me to go!"

Her words finally break the dam and the tears start falling, but he just ignores them, still not wanting to let his precious mother go.

"No! What...what am I go...going to do without you? Without my family?" he stutters, choking on his own tears.

"My beautiful son," his mother starts and wipes away his tears with her thumbs, her skin softly connecting with his.

"I am so proud of you! You...you are such a strong man...you are everything I hoped for and more! I know that you will be able...to fight...this without me... You will make it out of here...and you will be stronger than ever, continuing your life!"

Iwaizumi, by now completely sobbing, barely manages to press a few words out: "But...But I don't... want to...not...not without you!"

"There is no other way!... You will have to and you will manage!...I...I know that you will pull through, your so strong!"

His mother places her other hand on his cheek and continues to smoothen his skin, wiping away all the new tears that come and calming him down just so he is able to talk again: "But I don't want to be without you! I don't want to be alone!"

"You are not alone!... Your father and I will be watching from heaven!... We'll be at your side all the time!" She withdraws her hands from his face and slowly brings them to her neck, fidgeting and a few seconds later, she has a necklace in her hands. She then takes her wedding ring off, putting it on the necklace. It slides down and bounces off his father's wedding ring, which she has been caring since his death.

Slowly she takes his hand and places the necklace in it. "We will forever be at your side. And don't....forget...you don't have to be blood...to be family!"

Hajime looks at the necklace in his hand and then back to his mother's face: "You are not alone! I love you, Hajime!"

Tears streaming down his face again, he leans down and places a gentle kiss on her forehead. "I love you too, mom!"

She smiles at him again.

Then she closes her eyes and her chest lifts for another breath, one last time.


	8. Chapter 8

Mattsun sighs as he sends a last look towards Oikawa before he turns around and listens to the coaches, standing lined up in front of them. After Oikawa's panic attack he was afraid of everyone shooting him pitying glances because he knows that's the last thing his friend needed at that moment. Luckily Makki said something before everybody reentered the gym and they kept their eyes to themselves, mostly. There are always a few airheads doing exactly what they shouldn't be doing, but since it's only been a handful of people, it was okay.

After everyone was seated again the coaches discussed something and then shared that they actually didn't know what to do yet, they didn't know how bad the situation was and decided to wait and see what they'll hear before discussing the next steps.

And so they waited.

Everyone took the opportunity to contact friends and family members, making sure everyone is alright. Most of the Karasuno team went home to check on everyone or because their parents were pretty much worried sick. So it was only them sitting in the gym for a while.

After everybody made sure their families and friends were okay, luckily everyone is save, their coaches brought them some food. Mattsun didn't even notice that he was hungry, but when he checked the time, he realized it was already 5 pm, they hadn't had the chance to eat since breakfast which was around 8 am. So he dug into it, like everybody else. Only with one exception.

Oikawa didn't take one bite, shoving everything towards Makki and saying he wasn't hungry. Which was pretty much everything he had been saying for the whole day, except for when he called his mom to check on her. But he was way too quiet. It's unusual to see him like that and that's when Mattsun realized once again how close Oikawa and Iwaizumi are. 

Iwaizumi.

He knew that everybody was thinking about him, hoping that he is alright, but nobody dared to bring up the topic.

And here they are now, two hours after their meal everybody came back to listen to their coaches standing in front of everybody. Sighing once again Mattsun directs his attention on the males in front of them, curious about what is going to happen.

Coach Irihata takes a step forward and opens his mouth to reveal their plan for the next hours, days or maybe even weeks: "There has been a lot of information coming in over the past few hours and the coaches of Karasuno, we and Karasuno's headmaster have been discussing our plan for the next days. At first, it was hard to get proper information giving the situation, but it turns out the tsunami was actually worse than expected. It's said to be about as bad as the tsunami from 2011 if that tells you anything."

He takes a few seconds to let the information sink in. Mattsun's eyes widen and he shoots Makki a worried glance, which re returns immediatelly. OUt of the corner of his eye, Mattsun can see Oikawa pull his knees up to his chest and tightning his grib around them until his knuckles turn white. He wants to say something, but he doesn't know what.

Before he can open his eyes Karasuno's coach, Ukai, steps forward as well and continues: "We know that this is very hard for you, but you need to understand that there is nothing we can do at the moment. Since you obviously can't go back to your hotel, we've made the decision to have you stay here until further notice. The headmaster agreed to open the school, so you'll be able to sleep in one of the classrooms while you're here."

Now Mizoguchi raises his voice: "All of us agreed that this would be the best decision right now and we're all very thankful that Karasuno agreed to take us in. Today there is nothing we could do, even if we wanted to. All we can do right now is wait and tomorrow we will find a way to somehow help the victims of this catastrophe. But for now, Karasuno should return to their homes and we'll make ourselves comfortable in the school. Tomorrow is probably going to be a long day and you need all the rest you can get!" He looks at Oikawa most of the time, probably making sure he isn't planning to run off and search for Iwaizumi. But his friend is still sitting next to him, hugging his knees and not lifting his eyes off the ground.

Ukai speaks up again: "So everybody let's get going, I want you all to go home and try to get some rest! We'll meet here tomorrow at 8:30 and then we'll plan our next steps."

Everybody agrees to that while standing up, some louder, some just uttering the words under their breath. Oikawa is definitely one of the last group. Even as everybody is already leaving, Seijoh gathering outside to get to their room and Karasuno making their way home, he hasn't moved an inch.

SIghing (once again) Mattsun crouches down in front of him, Makki standing behind him. "Hey! I know that you're worried sick about Iwaizumi, believe me, so are we. But the coaches are right, there is nothing we can do right now. So let's get to the classroom, okay? So Karasuno's coaches are able to get home."

Oikawa lifts his head and glares at him, looking like he is either breaking into tears or about to yell at him any second. In the end, he just nods and slowly stands up, still not a word leaving his lips. Relieved he didn't have to argue, Mattsun stands up as well, exchanging looks with Makki. Then they flank him and walk outside where the rest of their team is waiting. Irihata sends them a short thankful smile, which Oikawa can't see because he won't look anyone in the face right now.

They walk down a corridor and then Takeda opens a door, gesturing inside: "You'll have to move a few tables, maybe place them outside, but then you should have enough room to sleep."

"Thank you very much," Irihata says and all of them bow slightly.

Then they carry the tables and desks out and place mattresses on the floor instead. Mattsun doesn't question where they are coming from, he is just glad they don't have to sleep on the floor. After settling in a bit and taking their stuff inside, their coach turns towards them: "Mizoguchi and I will be in the room just around the corner if you need anything. Try to rest, we know it's hard, but we will get through this. Let's just not lose our hope!"

After their coaches closed the door behind their backs the rustling keeps on for a few more minutes until everyone is completely settled. Even though they cleared the whole room out, it’s still a bit cramped, but nobody complains. Nobody dared to say a word when Oikawa set up an extra mattress right next to his one in the corner.

As soon as all the noise died down, Makki claps into his hand, gaining his teammate's attention. "Okay guys, we all know that this whole thing is going to be tough, so let's not make it harder than it already is, so if anyone has anything on their hearts you just spill it out, okay?"

Everybody silently nods and Mattsun continues: "We're all worried for Iwaizumi of course, but as our coaches said, there is nothing we can do right now. Let's all just hope and pray for the best. We all know our ace, if anyone can survive something like this, it's him. He is strong and he is determined. I'm am optimistic that we'll see him again. Let's all just stay positive for the time being, alright?"

Everybody just nods or mumbles some words of agreement.

"Good and now get some rest guys. The next days are going to be hard!"

With that said everybody lays down. Mattsun and Makki share a last look, after looking at Oikawa, who has his back turned to them, facing the empty mattress and clutching to his blanket. The two third years are pretty sure that their mutual friend won't be able to sleep tonight, they don't even know if they'll be able to close an eye themselves, constant worry nagging at them.

"Please god," Mattsun prays silently: "Please let Iwaizumi be okay!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm normally not that emotional, but I'll admit that I was close to crying while writing this chapter.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Random fact: My favorite band just released a new single and it's awesome, everybody go listen to The Score "Best part"

Salty tearmarks are still covering his face as Iwaizumi walks down the hill. He doesn't dare to look back. Afraid he is going to cry again when he sees his mother's body, which he has propped against the tree. He clenches his fists as more tears start streaming down his face and he hates himself for being so weak. Didn't his mom say how strong he was? And now here he is crying again.

He actually cried himself to sleep and judging by the sun and dawn accompanying it, he probably slept through the whole night. When he woke up, he figured that he just kind of fell forward and must've fallen asleep, his forehead resting on his mom's. His whole body is hurting now, adding to his injuries is the pain coming from the weird sleeping position, he stayed in for what must have been the whole night... Hence, the first thing he saw after waking up was his mom's face.

He shudders, as he remembers how she didn't look dead. How he fought that maybe it was all a dream, maybe she didn't die. Her face did look like she is just sleeping, after all, even a small smile covering her lips, but as he touched her, he immediately retrieved his hand. Her body was cold. It wasn't just a bad dream. His mom is gone! Forever!

What stayed with him though, was the cold feeling inside his chest, the loneliness, the emptiness.

His parents and he have been very close, probably because they could give him all the attention since he grew up as an only child. They spent all the time with each other that they could. At an early age, his mom taught him how to cook and he soon grew to enjoy it, helping her whenever he could. His dad wasn't home as often since he had to work long shifts, but he always made sure to spend some time with his son, teaching him how to defend himself, how to fix a car, but he also gave him advice whenever he needed it and somehow he managed to make chores fun. They hardly fought and even if they did, it was never something major and they'd forgive each other not soon after. His dad was probably his first best friend.

But it came as it had to. Every parent dies somedays and Hajime knew that it was such an obvious fact, but never would he have fought it would happen this early. He still remembers that day as if it were yesterday. His dad had just gotten a promotion earlier that week and they picked him up from practice to celebrate by going out for dinner. Hajime couldn't have been happier, because for one, his dad finally got his dream job and secondly, it has been raining all day and he really wasn't keen on walking home. They were heading for some fancy restaurant when they started getting into an argument. He can't recall what it was about, probably just something minor. But it was enough for his dad to lift his eyes off the road and glare at him through the mirror.

Just when he was looking on the street again, a cat ran over the street.

If his eyes had been on the road, his dad would have seen it earlier.

If he wasn't that caught up in the fight, he wouldn't have been so surprised.

He would have reacted better, he wouldn't have jerked the steering wheel to the side.

He wouldn't have lost control!

If Iwaizumi just kept quiet during the car ride, his dad would still be alive!

After his dad's death, they grew even closer. They were grieving together, he only allowed himself to cry at home, Oikawa already had enough on his plate and he can't imagine what would've happened if his pillar just crumbled below him. Of course, Oikawa tried to not bother him with his problems and if it was only for a few days, but that's exactly what he needed at the time. He just stayed home for a few days, crying alone or with his mother, reliving memories, happy and sad ones and then, when he went to school again, he remained strong for Oikawa and for his team.

Suddenly Iwaizumi stopped walking. His team... He could really facepalm himself right now if he had enough energy. How could he forget about his team? About Oikawa. The past few hours, no...ever since the tsunami, he didn't think of them once. He only cared about him and his mom, totally forgetting that it's not just him on this planet. Forgetting that there are other people he loves.

He wipes the last tears away and straightens his composure just a little bit. He doesn't know if they were hit by the tsunami and if they were injured, if they were save, how they were taking the situation. There are so many questions and emotions filling his head and he allows it all because it distracts him. And most importantly with all the anxiety and the uncertainty comes hope. It sparkles something inside him, his will to live.

Having something to think about and something to care about Iwazumi can feel new energy forming in his body. As the last tears clear from his eyes and he can finally see normally again, he takes another step towards the hills. The hospital is at the end of the city, he knows that. So that's where he is going. The city isn't too big so he should make it there in a few hours. Well, under normal circumstances at least.

But the circumstances weren't normal. Although he isn't exactly wading through water anymore, it still reaches his shins, making it a little difficult to move, not just because he can't see anything through the dirty water and has to be extra careful when stepping down. Adding to his slow speed is the pain coming from different parts of his body. His feet still hurt from walking constantly, the uncomfortable shoes making it even worse. The pain in his arm is still pure agony and now the feeling of being hungry and thirsty consumes his body as well.

Trying to bite through it all, Iwaizumi keeps going, still blaming himself for not thinking about his team earlier. And he calls himself Vice-Captin.

Just keep going! The team needs you!

He is repeating the sentences in his mind. Even when he wants to nothing than sit down, he keeps going.

When he wants nothing than drink the dirty water below him, he ignores it.

When he just wants all the pain to stop, he focuses on his goal.

The team is fine, they're probably worried as hell for you. They don't know if you're still alive, do you really want to make them wait any longer just because you had to sit down or because you had to drink that dirty water, probably throwing up afterward, making the situation worse than it already is? Do you really wanna give up and put your friends during the grief even though you, out of all people, know how destructive it is?

The little voice in his head is his constant. It's what he needs to focus, to keep going.

After all, he knows that yes, the team is probably worried, but even if he didn't make it, they'd get over it. But with Oikawa it's different. His best friend told him that he wouldn't know what to do if Iwaizumi wouldn't be at his side anymore.

" _I'd probably never be myself anymore! I'd give up_ volleyball _because it reminds me of you. But volleyball is my life, so what point would there be in_ living _anyways?_ "

Those were his exact words. Oikawa told him after Iwaizumi asked, just a few days after his dad died in that accident. All Iwaizumi could do was stare at him, speechless. He wanted to yell at his friend, for not taking him seriously, but when he met the other's gaze, he knew that he told the truth.

And right now, in this situation, his childhood friend's words are echoing in his mind again, reminding him why he is still walking and why he needs to be with his team as fast as possible, because nobody knows what would happen if Oikawa thought that Iwaizumi was dead...


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all very much for 200 hits!!! I don't even know if that's a lot, still thank you all.

After a horrible night, without much sleep, Makki wakes up before everyone else does, after a quick look at his phone he notices that it's already 7:30 am. Their coaches should be here any minute with breakfast, at least that's what they said the day before. SIghing and rubbing the last bit of sleep out of his eyes, he sits up and claps his hands while shouting: "Everybody up! Breakfast will be here in a minute!"

After hearing some rustling and mumbling, he proceeds to stand up and pulls away the blankets from those, who aren't sitting already, this seems to work and after a few minutes, everybody is sitting up and rubbing the sleep out of their eyes, just as Makki did so himself a few minutes ago. As he sits down again, he tries to read everyone's faces. Of course, nobody is fully awake yet, who would be after just getting woken up? But it's obvious that nobody had a good night's sleep, but Oikawa looks by far the worst.

The already visible bags under his eyes are already way bigger than everyone else's, furthermore, his eyes also look red and puffy if you take a closer look and Makki guesses that his friend didn't sleep at all that night. But before he can say anything, neither to Oikawa nor to Mattsun, there is a knock at the door and just a second later their coaches are standing in the room, both holding trays loaded with food. Everybody quickly scrambles up to help them distribute the food until everyone has some.

They eat in silence and out of the corner of his eye, Makki notices that Oikawa puts some of his food in Makki's bowl when he thinks that he isn't looking. But Makki does and judging by his glance, Mattsun does too. After a short eye contact, they decide to not say anything now, everybody is close to finishing and they have to be at the gym in a few minutes. Now is not the right time to confront their friend. But as soon as they have some time alone, they're definitely going to have a word with him. Makki knows that Oikawa is just worried, but he also knows that the next days are going to be hard and if he doesn't eat or sleep, he just isn't too sure about Oikawa being able to power through it, He is just worried sick about his friend passing out and maybe injuring himself.

\---

Soft chatter already comes their way as the team gets closer to the gym. When they enter Makki is pretty sure that everybody is here already and he is right because just as everybody has settled down, Takeda raises his voice: "Good, looks like we're all here now. Good morning, everybody, I hope you all had a passable night."

He waits until everybody returned his short greeting, or at least until everybody is quiet again because Makki is pretty sure that not everyone from his team responded, but it's not like that is important right now. Important is what news the teachers will have and how the plan for the upcoming days will look like.

Now Ukai takes over: "So, today we already have a lot more information than we had yesterday and I'm afraid it's probably not what you would like to hear..."

Makki's eyes immediately grow wide and he can tell that his whole team just tensed up at that second. Could it be something about...? He stops himself from bringing that thought to an end, their coaches would tell them if it's about Iwaizumi, not Ukai, right?

It doesn't take long for Ukai to notice his mistake because he raises his hands and shakes his head while saying: "No, no, it's not what you're thinking. We don't have any information about your friend yet."

After that sentence, everyone relaxes again and Makki realizes how scared they all are for their teammate, he can't imagine how Oikawa must feel, they've been childhood friends after all. A quick look at Oikawa tells him about everything he needs to know. His friend is sitting in the same position as yesterday, his knees drawn to his chest and his arms clinging around them.

Ukai's voice makes him return his attention to their coaches again: "The bad news is that the tsunami pretty much destroyed the whole city. The only part to still stand are the last few houses closer to the mountain. About 80% of the city is destroyed or at least damaged."

He lets that information sink in a bit before continuing: "The good news is that the hospital was just far enough away from the ocean to be save, the first victims are already there. But it's going to be filled with people very soon, which is why Cities all around us decided to organize shuttle busses to take some of the victims, though the most critical patients can't be transported. Karasuno decided to open their gates as well and the school will be some kind of refugee camp."

Now he lets Irihata take over: "Don't worry, we'll be allowed to stay in school, Karasuno isn't that big, most of the victims will either go to Johzenji, Shiratorizawa or Itachiyama. But there are going to be people who need our help and since we can't do much else, we've offered to help. There is a lot we can do to help. Cooking, setting up beds and mattresses, giving out clothes, handing out food, welcoming every new person that comes in, maybe help with lighter injuries, and most of all just be there for the people who arrive. That's all we can say, for now, we don't have more details than you do, but I'm sure that it will all work out at the end and that way we can also do our best to help. Do you have any questions?"

Kindaichi nervously raises his hand and Irihata gives him a small nod.

"Uhm, when will we be able to return home?" The question probably burns in everyone's mind, because now all eyes are practically glued to their coaches again."

This time Mizoguchi answers: "We honestly don't know yet. The streets home run directly through the city our right next to it and right now pretty much everything is destroyed. For now, everybody and everything will be concentrated on helping the victims and bringing them back to safety, then they will slowly start rebuilding and cleaning everything. If it takes too long though, we'll think about taking another street around the mountains, which would be a lot more travel time, but we'll see about that. For now, we should all just concentrate on what we can do here and give our best!"

fter a short silence to let all of the new information sink in again, Takeda clears his throat to get everyone's attention: "Okay, listen up. The headmaster arranged a meeting for every volunteer willing to help, it will start in about thirty minutes and will take place in front of the school. I'd say you see if you can maybe reach out to your parents and then we'll meet up out front again and see how we can help.   
I know this is very hard on you and you are worried about your friend. But don't forget to watch out for yourselves as well, watch out for your friends and remember that if you ever need anything, the four of us are always happy to help. I know it probably takes a lot of you, but stay optimistic and let's all be here for each other!"


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know how small the world is when the girlfriend of your crush turns out to be the little sister of your former best friend, who betrayed you in the worst way possible...  
> Sometimes this world just isn't fair guys!

After hours and hours of walking Iwaizumi just feels numb. He hardly notices the pain, the heat, or anything going on around him. His thoughts have died out, even his mind is empty, he just keeps walking, one foot in front of another, probably looking like a zombie, he sure as hell feels like one. His eyes barely leave the ground, too focused on where he is going to place the next step, which is probably why it takes him so long to notice the small changes around him.

He looks up to check if he is on the right track and not heading straight into a blind-end, just to turn around and having to walk even faster. That is when someone brushes by him, looking back while running, a child shouts sorry and the next second disappears around a corner. That is when he wakes up from his state of trance and finally registers what's happening around him.

The destruction and chaos are less noticeable where he is now. Buildings are mostly damaged, but they are all standing. And yes there is stuff lying around on the street which normally doesn't belong there and most of it is covered by seaweed or is still a little bit wet or dirty, but it's way less than where he is coming from. And with less chaos come more people. How didn't he notice that earlier? Small groups, couples, and loners like him are everywhere. They are walking, they are talking, but most importantly they are alive!

Something changes inside his body, a feeling making him feel less empty and just a bit less dead. Hope! Now he can see that it's not for nothing, he is not alone, the rear part of the town is actually okay and so are the people. And if the buildings aren't too damaged then maybe the people are okay too, maybe his team didn't have to suffer at all.

Iwaizumi takes a big breath and feels his body coming back to life. It can't be far until he reaches the hospital, he will receive treatment and then he will find his friends again, he has to!

Without noticing, he stopped walking. Watching the guys around him, he slightly adjusts his direction and follows the stream of people, maybe they know where to go. It would only make sense for everyone to search for the hospital. He may not join any of the others while walking there, but Iwaizumi somehow feels like he is part of society again, he found human civilization again, everything will change now!

\---

It actually did take him some time to come closer to the hospital and by the time he can see it, the sun is already setting again. Mentally cursing because it's been another day Iwaizumi comes to a halt. The crowds around him were getting bigger and bigger and now, about 100 feet away from the hospital, he feels like there is no getting through. When he saw destruction and chaos of stuff lying around everywhere, he is seeing a different kind of chaos here.

Hundreds, if not thousands of people are camping out, walking, sleeping, crying. It's overwhelming and Iwaizumi takes some time to take it all in and process everything. A lot of people are sitting at the sides, others walking through them to get to the hospital, a lot of people are injured, but with some, Iwaizumi can't tell if it's dirt or blood covering their bodies, probably both. On the left side os the hospital he can see a bus being crowded by men and women, but the only ones getting on are kids. Maybe it's for every lost kid, to find their parents or if they're orphans to bring them to another hospital with less...chaos.

As he thinks about these kids and what they've been through, he feels his heart sting. An orphan, that's what he is... Looking at the right side of the hospital, Iwaizumi shakes his head, he can't think about that now, it's not the right time.

At the other side of the building are men distributing water bottles to those who are close enough, it seems hard to actually get one though, looking at the masses fighting for it. All around the hospital are people and suddenly Hajime feels lost again. Now he is one of many. Nobody is going to care about him. He'll get lost in the masses, never make it into the hospital. His team will never get to see him again because he is just too weak to get to them...

Someone bumps into his shoulder and knocks him out of his thoughts. The person rushes past him, without apologizing, without looking back, then he disappears in the crowd, probably trying to enter the hospital.

Something clicks in his head. That's what he is going to do. He'll fight his way to the entrance. Only thinking in small steps, he starts walking again. He'll see what happens once he is there. And so he fights, using his elbows, ducking under arms, he slowly works his way forward until finally, he is at the front of a crowd, only to be standing in front of another obstacle. Some men are rushing in, but even from a few feet out, Iwaizumi can see that the hospital is bursting at the seams.

The waiting room doesn't look like it even belongs to a hospital, it's so crowded by people, you can hardly spot the floor. Some of them are sitting, others are laying on beds, stretchers, and even doors, and everyone is injured, most of them bleeding heavily. Nurses are rushing in between, looking where they can help.

Suddenly a man appears at the entrance, he is holding a megaphone and starts talking: "Please everybody let me get your attention. This hospital is not capable of taking all of you in. From now on, only kids and those who are heavily injured will receive treatment, my coworkers and I will give you one of these ribbons, and then you'll receive treatment as fast as possible. Without ribbon no treatment. We're really sorry for not being able to help. Please walk towards the rest of the building, there are shuttle busses transferring you to different hospitals."

Once he is finished, the crowd behind Iwaizumi keeps pushing, even more, everyone wants to get one of the ribbons, just to finally make it to the hospital. He also tries his luck, but when the man looks at him, he shakes his head and pushes him away, clearly signaling to move out of the way. Iwaizumi wants to fight, to try and get in, but he knows that it's pretty useless. So he pushes through the masses and finds himself in a less crowded area. He is still surrounded by quite a lot of people, but not as much as there are at the entrance, where he can hear the guy from earlier repeat what he just said.

Sighing heavily at the disappointment, he turns around to find himself a place to sit down. The strains of the past hours and days are making themselves noticeable and his body practically screams at him to sit down. All he wants to do is to finally find his teammates again, but he knows if he is going to pass out, he won't get any closer.

After some more exhausting minutes of walking, he finds himself a spot under a tree, there is an old man sleeping next to it already and Iwaizumi hopes that he won't be mad at him for just sitting down next to him, but he is just too exhausted to walk any further. Against all his expectations he falls asleep within seconds, his last thoughts being about his team and what he can do to finally find them again.


	12. Chapter 12

"And we survived another night that lacked sleep," Makki's voice makes Mattsun turn his head his way.

"Hmm?" is all his sleepy body manages to utter.

Makki's kinda cheeky expression turns serious as he turns his own head away from their sleeping teammates as if he made sure they're the only once awake yet. And Matssun hates it, he hates seeing his best friend be all serious when he normally throws in jokes every twenty minutes. But now, not even the "master of the jokes" as Makki likes to call himself, cracks jokes anymore and that worries Mattsun himself.

"Look at them. Do you think they manage to get a good night's rest? Because I don't, the bags under your eyes tell me you don't get any either, and let's not even start talking about our beloved setter."

Mattsun hums in agreement. "Mhm, I don't know. Of course, they all look like they've got something on their hearts, but we know what it is."

"Do you think we should say something? I mean that's normally a captain's thing, but..." Makki's voice slightly cracks at the end and Mattsun shoots him a worried glance, but his friend stubbornly turns his head around, not wanting to look into his eyes.

So instead Mattsun stands up: "Let's fetch breakfast!"

Silently Makki stands up too and they don't say a word until they are a few steps away from the door and Mattsun comes to an abrupt halt. "So?"

Makki raises his eybrow. "So what?"

"Talk to me, man! What's on your mind, I know something's bothering you!"

Makki let's out a small fake laugh. "Something's been bothering me, huh? Well, maybe it's the fact that I don't know if I'm ever going to see one of my best friends ever again. Or that one of my other best friends is sleep-deprived and starving himself, completely shutting himself out from me. Maybe it's the fact that it feels like we have to carry the rest of the team and stay optimistic, while I can't stay optimistic myself. Maybe it's the burden of carrying them while I'm breaking apart myself and that's just because I don't know if I'm going to see one of my friends ever again. But apart from that, I don't know what could possibly be on my mind. Do you?"

After his outburst, his friend has to catch his breath again and Mattsun can see his eyes tear up.

He lays a hand on his shoulder: "I know, I know. I understand how you're feeling, okay?" He keeps his voice calm, knowing that's what his friend needs right now. "But I believe that he'll make it back to us because I can't risk worrying myself over something I don't know yet. There are a lot of things going on here right now and there is especially one person who needs our help right now! So we have to focus on being here for those who we can actually help and not think about uncertainties. I know it's hard, but I can't do that without you. I need you as well, okay?"

During his short speech, Makki rubbed his eyes and now all the tears inside of them are gone as he throws him a small smile: "Okay. But we have to do something. It feels like everyone is falling apart."

Mattsun agrees: "Yeah, I know. Let's talk to the coaches and arrange a team meeting in the evening, it's probably a good idea to have them there too, granted they might also have some news for us."

His friend nods slightly: "With our busy schedules we didn't get to see them a lot yesterday. Maybe we meet them during our food run."

With that said, they continue their way to get breakfast, and finally, luck seems to be with them as they meet both of their coaches on their way back. They exchange a few words, about how everything's been going, before addressing the real topic. Both of their coaches agree to do a meeting and Irihata says they just got informed that there may be major changes coming up soon and they'll attend some kind of meeting with the headmaster later that day. So they decided to arrange the meeting afterward.

The team also takes it well when they spill the news of the meeting.

During their breakfast, a knock disrupts the small chatter, and just a second later Karasuno's captain and vice-captain, Daichi and Sugawara appear in the door.

"Hello, we just wanted to check on you," Daichi starts.

Mattsun nods slightly: "Thanks, we're...we're coping I guess."

Daichi nods as well: "We know this is a hard time, so we wanted to say that the doors to the gym are always open if you need anything and we wanted to ask if you would like to maybe join in at practice and get your head free."

A nice offer is what Mattsun wants to say, but Oikawa cuts him off.

"No. I'm not going to play without knowing that our ace is going to be fine!"

For a second everybody is shocked at their captain's harsh words. Then Mattsun speaks up: "Thank you very much for the offer, but I think I'll join Oikawa on this one. It doesn't feel right. Again, thanks for the offer."

He turns to face the rest of the team: "If anyone would like to join them you can go, it's up to all of you to make a decision!" But after a few seconds, everybody kindly declines the offer, they all feel the same way, even Kyoutani.

Karasuno's players seem to understand though, not looking like they have any bad thoughts on their minds as they walk away again. And after minute or so, they slowly continue their breakfast, this time in complete silence.

After everyone's finished breakfast, except for Oikawa who insisted he was full after a few bites, they parted ways again. Yesterday they decided who could do what and now they're pretty much split up, though they make sure nobody is alone.

Yahaba and Kyotani are helping in the kitchen and are distributing food.

Watari and Kunimi help the doctors bandaging simple wounds and cleaning them, while Kindaichi talks to the people and tries to comfort them.

Mattsun, Makki, and Oikawa welcome newcomers and give them water bottles, show them where to go, and also talk to the people until a doctor is read to see them. Oikawa has been doing surprisingly well, but that's no news to them. A year into their friendship, Iwaizumi told them that Oikawa usually masked himself when something's wrong and to simple bystanders, it's hard to notice when he does, but Iwaizumi can read their friend like a book and told them about one or two things they have to watch out for. Though now it's not hard to see their friend is suffering, still he is polite and actually talks to the people, which makes Mattsun just a little bit relieved, because that means he hasn't shut himself out completely.

With that, another day passes by pretty fast and it's suddenly nightfall again. They all fetch some food and meet in their own little room. It's been an exhausting day, the heat burning down on them as they try to help strangers, but in the back of their heads, everybody is worried about their friend, whom they can't help. So the days are not only physically, but also mentally draining.

After finishing another quiet meal, the door opens and their coaches step in. It only takes a split second for Mattsun to notice that something's wrong. Even their coaches look pessimistic as they join the little circle in the middle of the room and look at everyone before saying something. It feels like the temperature dropped as it's so quiet you could hear a pin drop, everyone's eyes resting on their coaches.

And then Irihata speaks up: "I'm afraid we have bad news..."


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this Chapter is one day early, at least I think so. Because something went wrong and suddenly my chapter 17 which I wanted to save as a draft became chapter 1 out of nowhere and it automatically updated every chapter so chapter 1 was suddenly chapter 2 and chapter 2 was chapter 3 and so on.  
> Luckily I had all of them saved on my laptop as well, so I was able to reupdate it, which took me like forever, but yeah, that'S why this chapter is out one day too early.

Radiating pain from his right calve being so intense it wakes Iwaizumi is the first thing he feels the next morning. Instantly snapping out of his dreams, showing his parents, he moans and grabs his leg, knowing it has to be a cramp and probably the worst he's ever had. Cursing under his breath, he wishes for somebody next to him, helping him stretch the leg the right way to ease the pain. As if his prayers had been heard, he can suddenly feel strong hands grab his leg and stretch it exactly the way he was just imagining someone to do it, confusing him in the process.

His eyes are still shut as if he is trying to block out the pain by squeezing his eyelids together, so he doesn't know who is helping him. He tries to rememeber what happened yesterday, but the pain is consuming him, getting worse with the stretch, and even though he knows it's the right thing to do, Iwaizumi just wants the person to lay his leg back down.

But just a few seconds the pain dissolves slowly, just leaving a weird feeling in his leg. Slowly he opens his eyes and at first, is dazzled by the sunlight and it takes his eyes a few seconds to adjust, even after he put his hand up to block the sun.

"Is it better?" an unfamiliar voice asks, sounding concerned.

"Yeah, thanks," Iwaizumi answers with a raspy voice, looking at the man kneeling in front of him. He has broad shoulders and looks like he is pretty tall, although he isn't sure since the guy is kneeling. He seems to be in his late fifties maybe, the dark hair already turning grey at the sides and he as shares him a small smile, making his skin to crinkle, Iwaizumi thinks that he seems to be a nice person.

"I'm glad I could at least do something here," the man replies with a dark but friendly voice and a second later he sticks his hand out: "I'm Nakamura Haruto. Nice to meet you."

Iwaizumi shakes it, noticing Nakamura's firm grip: "Iwaizumi Hajime, nice to meet you too. And thanks again, that really helped!"

Nakamura sits down next to him and Iwaizumi remembers what happened yesterday evening, how he just fell asleep next to the man, without asking for permission. He turns to him and says: "I'm sorry for slumping down next to you, I was just too tired and it looked like a good place, I didn't mean to intrude or anything."

"Don't worry, kid! It's totally fine with me, I was sleeping so what should you have done? I understand it's hard to find a place here, it's been pure chaos!" he pauses for a second and then grabs a half-full water bottle, which Iwaizumi didn't even realize was standing there. Then he hands it to him and says: "Here. The cramp was probably caused by dehydration."

Before he takes it, he responds: "Are you sure? I could just get myself some..."

"No, please, take it. You should drink now and then you can get a new bottle, later on, I hurt my leg, so I wouldn't be able to get some myself. You could really do me a favor because when you're alone and you can't leave, chances of getting more water are practically zero."

"Thanks, and I, of course, I will bring you a knew one, that'S the least I can do!" he takes the bottle and as the first drops of water touch his lips, he realizes how much his body was screaming for it and telling him to gulp it down in one go. Instead, he calms himself and slowly drinks it, enjoying every single drop, running down his aching throat and making him feel just a tad more alive.

After emptying the bottle, he wishes he had more, never wanting to stop drinking again, but he assumes it'll be a while before he will be able to drink something again. Instead, he wants to get some more information about this place and he gives it a go:

"So, how long have you been here?" he asks Nakamura.

"I arrived yesterday moring, at first I wanted to get into the hospital, but the only injury I have is my probably broken ankle, so they didn't let me in. Instead, I just hobbled here and found this tree, somehow managing to get the water," the man answers and then asks: "Are you alone as well?"

The question makes Iwaizumi's heart sting a bit as his mother crosses his mind, but he just responds with: "Yeah, I'm searching for my friends though. We were at separate places this morning and I don't know where they are or if they were even hit by the tsunami."

"Mhm, as far as I know, there is a back dor, where you can slip into the hospital, inside there is a wall with all the patient's names, though I don't know how helpful that will be since, I'm pretty sure there are not a lot of people who have the time to update said list, so you probably have to walk through the whole are to search for your friends, if they're still here."

The last sentence confuses Iwaizumi. " _If_ they're still here? What do you mean?"

"Well, the surrounding cities figured pretty quickly that this hospital would be overwhelmed with victims and just a few hours after the first wave hit, they've organized some plan to help everybody. Said plan also includes shuttle busses distributing the victims to Shiratorizawa, Johenzi, Wakutani, and Karasuno. Though since Karasuno is also pretty small they announce that the last busses drove of yesterday, because they're already filled with people and nobody wants them to have the same chaos as it's here, so let's hope your friends aren't here," he finishes and looks at Iwaizumi, probably noticing his sad look because he raises an eyebrow in confusion, which the boy doesn't miss.

"I'm not even sure if my friends were in town when the tsunami hit. They're all in a volleyball club and we had a practice match planned against Karasuno that day, just that I could attend it, which is why I'm here now. But the thing is,t hat I don't even know if they left the city before the tsunami hit or if they were still here."

"Mhm, complicated situation. You should probably just search this place and hope they're here. If not, well, you can think about that when the time is here, right?"

"Yeah, I should probably do that, thanks again."

He slowly pushes himself off the ground, testing his leg, which feels like he has a lump in it and kinda hurts when he puts pressure on it, but by now he is used to that constant level of pain, so he should be able to walk. He turns around to Nakamura and says: "I'll check inside the hospital and then I'll try to get some water, if they're not there, I will check the outside, or at least try to."

Nakamura gives him an encouraging smile: "Alright, good luck kid!"

With that, Iwaizumi turns around and slowly walks towards the building again, it's actually easier to get inside when you search for someone than when you want to have treatment, he thinks as soon as he crosses the doors and searches for the stairs. He'll start from the top and make his way down, knowing his team, they wouldn't let anyone seperate them, so it shoulnd't be too hard to find the group, if they're still there.

If. That little word is scaring him more than it should. What if they're not here? What if they drove to Karasuno before the disaster happened? If Nakamura is right and there are no busses to Karasuno, how should he go there? Walk? No, hw wouldn't manage to do so, he'd probably collapse halfway through. That thought crosses his mind as he reaches the top of the stairs and the world is spinning just the tiniest bit and he has to wait for a second, which makes him realizes how weak his body is, now having eaten for days, hardly any water, constant walking and god knows how much blood he lost, it's all affecting him right now and he knows that he'll need to have treatment soon or else everything would have been for nothing.

Please let them be here, he prays as he starts his search, because I don't know if I'll pull through long enough to see them, if they're not here!


	14. Chapter 14

"I'm afraid, we have bad news," that's one of the sentences Makki certainly didn't want to hear, and judging by the pale faces of his teammates, it hit everybody pretty hard. Still, nobody is saying anything, or even moving, they're all just waiting and internally preparing themselves for what's to come.

"We don't want to keep you guessing, so we're going to shoot straight! First off, we still don't know anything about Iwaizumi," Irihata continues and Makki relaxes just the tiniest bit. No news is good news! Well, at least for Makki, looking at Oikawa's tensed up body, for him it would probably be best to receive at least some information, but the uncertainty has been killing him even more than everyone else.

Makki tenses up a bit at his own thoughts, "killing him" maybe he should use different phrases, even if it's just in his head, but the phrases are leading to bad thoughts, which wouldn't be particularly helpful right now either.

Irihata clears his throat and speaks up again: "And now to the bad news. I'm afraid, Karasuno is pretty small and it was bound to happen, we just didn't expect it to happen that fast, but Karasuno has reached its maximum capacity. There are already a lot of people here and we know that everyone's been doing their best, but we're full. Meaning there won't be any busses driving people here, no new victims!"

He takes a little break to let the information sink in properly and it probably took everyone some time to process, because it wasn't until a few seconds after their coach finished, that, suddenly Oikawa speaks up.

"What do you mean? There are no more shuttle busses? What about Iwa-chan? How is he supposed to get here? We can't close the school without him being here? How is he supposed to find us? Or what if he needs us and can't get here? We can't just sit here and do nothing!" he just keeps firing these words and Makki can see his eyes starting to water up.

After a quick glance at their coaches, he moves next to Oikawa and lays his hand on his friend's shoulder, trying to soothe him just a little bit. "Hey, listen! I know it's hard, but let the coaches finish first, okay? We'll work something out!"

He had hoped the small gesture would calm Oikawa just enough to listen to their coaches again, but instead of calming down, their setter just shrugs it off and Makki can see him balling his hands into fists as he stands up.

He speaks up again, rage filling his voice: "Do you really think I'll just sit here and do nothing while my best friend is out there, maybe fighting for his life? How could you possibly expect me to do that? We're fine here, nobody is injured, we have food and water and oh, we're so happy the tsunami didn't hit us, but now we're forgetting that one of our teammates is out there? I've been quietly holding back, I haven't complained, hell, I did everything you wanted me to! I helped all those people out there because you expected me to do so and all I wanted in return was for you to not give up on my best friend. And now here you are, admitting defeat and just giving up? How dare you?"

The words at the end, weren't just filled with rage, it was a mix of emotions and slowly tears started streaming down Oikawa's face, but he just ignores them and glances at their coaches, demanding answers. Makki understands how his friend feels, at least partly, but he didn't expect him to nearly start shouting at their coaches and it's just not okay to do that!

He stands up to properly face Oikawa and practically shouts at him: "Are you completely out of your mind? How dare YOU to talk to our coaches like that? They've done their best to help, they tried everything they could and bring Iwaizumi back and you're not one to talk. Because your behavior has been scaring the shit out of us! You hardly eat or sleep, how are we supposed to do anything if we have to worry about you all the time, huh? And don't you say that we're giving up on Iwaizumi because damn, it's been hurting all of us not knowing how he is! We've all been doing everything we could, so what more do you want? Tell me, what else should we do?"!

Oikawa clenches his fists even more, but before he can say anything, Mattsun stands up and lays his hands on both of their shoulders. In contrast to the other third-years, his voice is calm as he opens his mouth: "Both of you stop it! We've all been worrying about Iwaizumi, that's out of question and yes, Makki is right, we've been worried about you too, Oikawa! But that's no reason to start yelling at each other! Aren't we supposed to stick together? Especially in hard times like these? What good are we doing if we're just yelling at each other and accusing each other of various things? We're not helping anyone like that, okay? So let's all calm down again and listen to what the coaches have to say and then we'll figure everything out!"

He nudges their arms and the three of them sit down again, Makki feels ashamed at his outburst, even though somebody really needed to tell Oikawa. But now he feels stupid.

"Okay, we know it's hard for you to accept the fact that the school is closing its doors and it's even harder for you to understand. But we're doing no good if the school is getting overfilled, nobody will receive proper treatment, even if we work double the time we do now, so it's the right thing to close the doors." Irihata starts and then looks at Mizoguchi, who starts speaking for the first time since he is in this room.

"We knew you wouldn't just accept this and I've decided to drive down there tomorrow. I'll drive to the hospital and search for Iwaizumi and if he is there, then I will bring him back here! I'll try my best to find him, even if that means I'll have to search the whole day!"

Irihata takes over again: "And Oikawa, we know Iwaizumi is your best friend and we know that this is even harder for you than it is for us, but you really need to watch out for yourself, I'm optimistic that we will be able to find Iwaizumi and when he comes back, he'll need all of us to help him work through this traumatic experience, so if you can't pull yourself together for us or for yourself, then at least to it for Iwaizumi! Because we don't know in what shape he will be and we have to face the truth that he may have injuries, so we don't want him to worry about us as well! We'll bring him back and when we're reunited, we'll be here for each other!"


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess what guys, when I posted Chapter 10, I had already written the next four chapters or so and then I lost myself in Marvel again and lost track of time and here I am, only one chapter left, it's kinda sad, but don't worry, I'll keep on writing.  
> Also thanks for all the kudos and comments!

Over and over again, Iwaizumi peeks behind curtains or looks into rooms just to apologize for disturbing the strangers there and his hope shrinking just the tiniest bit every time. But just like when he was trying to get to the hospital, he refuses to give up, refuses to slide down a wall. give in to his pain and exhaustion and just stop searching, stop hoping. No matter how hard it gets, he reminds himself that his friend needs him and that he can't give up just yet.

After every room he searched, he reminds himself.

After every floor he reminds himself.

After he searched the whole hospital, he reminds himself.

As he sets foot out of the building, he reminds himself. Even while fighting for a bottle of water and when he receives an orange as well. he takes it as a sign, a sign to keep fighting, he just received food so his body will be able to sustain the search. By the time Iwaizumi reaches his spot under the tree, right next to Nakamura, the sun has already passed its highest point.

He hands the man the bottle of water and the orange, wanting to turn around and keep searching, but Nakamura's voice stops him: "Hey, Iwaizumi, stop for a second!"

They lock eyes and the man keeps talking: "Where did you get that orange from? It's awesome! I've never managed to receive anything except for a bottle of water, and even for that, I had to be lucky."

Iwaizumi thinks for a second and answers truthfully: "Honestly, I don't remember. I just fought for a bottle and I was kinda lost in my thoughts because next thing I know, I'm not only holding the bottle, but also the orange in my hands," he shrugs his shoulders at the end.

While listening, Nakamura's eyes got darker and after Iwaizumi finished, he says: "Okay, you know what. Sit down!"

Of course, Iwaizumi wants to out there again, he hasn't searched outside the hospital yet, but before he can even open his mouth, Nakamura states: "I know you just want to find your friends, but you've been on your feet for hours already. Additionally, you just survived a tsunami a few days ago and hardly ate or drank anything since then. If you don't give your body the rest it needs, you'll collapse on the ground, and that way you wouldn't find your team either! Just take a small break, drink a bit, and take a few bites of the orange."

SIghing, Iwaizumi sits down. It's pretty obvious to him that arguing wouldn't help anybody, so he just does as the other man wants to and deep inside of him he knows, that Nakamura is right, even though he just wants to keep searching and not sit here and take a break. And to be honest, he needs the rest even more than before he started searching, his head is throbbing even more and he overall just feels like shit, the world starts spinning every now and then, forcing him to rest a few seconds. Maybe after a few minutes, it'll work out better.

"Okay, I'll stay for a few minutes, but you can have the orange. I'm not hungry!" he replies, although he can't remember when the last time was he ate, he really doesn't feel hungry.

His answer causes Nakamura's face to frown: "That's a sign of dehydration. You need to be extra careful now, I didn't think you're in such a bad condition, but if you don't rest now, you could pass out every second! And you will be eating half of the orange, there will be no debate about that! Your body probably needs it more than mine."

Without arguing, Iwaizumi takes the pieces Nakamura hands them and slowly starts eating. Sitting down ended in all energy leaving his body, the world spinning, even though he wasn't even walking anymore and his body feeling like he'll never manage to get up again. But the orange works wonders and after just a few pieces, he already feels some life reentering his body, now it's not that hard to keep his eyes open, he doesn't feel that energyless anymore. It's really helping, but still, he doesn't think he'd manage to stand up again. So after he finished the orange and drank a few sips of water, he just relaxes and lets his eyes wander over the people camping out next to the hospital.

The place is probably as big as a football field, maybe a bit bigger, but it's crowded with people. Just thinking about searching for his friends makes Iwaizumi feel tired again and it even outweighs the urge to keep searching. He has to accept the fact that he is worn out again. Watching the sun move closer to the horizon once again, he decides to stay here and keep searching tomorrow.

"It's the right thing to do, you know?!" Nakamura suddenly says, as if he just read his mind.

"It's the right thing to give your body time to rest. If your friends are still here, they wouldn't leave now either, they probably know that if they go to some other school, chances are low for you to find them. You'll have to believe in that! And tomorrow you can continue your search, with more energy!"

Nakamura shoots Iwaizumi an encouraging smile, which the latter returns, before turning his head away again and closing his eyes, not long after that he is sound asleep.

\---

You'd think sleep would feel really good when your body is that exhausted. You'd probably imagine it being the best sleep of your life, but for Iwaizumi, that's different. Because not long after he drifted off, his mind started playing tricks on him and the nightmares came. He didn't have nightmares very often, usually just when he's worrying too much about something or when he is just overthinking stuff.

So it's not really a surprise as the nightmare starts and Iwaizumi finds him on the beach, the rest of the team standing about 40 feet away, even the coaches are there, though nobody is facing him, it seems like they don't even know Iwaizumi is just a few feet behind him. He tries to shout their names, but nobody turns around and acknowledges him. So he starts running and shouting at the same time. But not only does he fall on deaf ears, but it also seems as if the distance between them is growing even though he is running towards his friends. Suddenly he hears a loud rumble coming from the side, he turns his head and sees a huge tsunami coming their way.

Iwaizumi picks up the speed and yells even louder and finally, Mizoguchi turns around, but Iwaizumi doesn't notice, he trips on something laying in the ground and falls down, face first.

He raises his head to look at the water and just a second later, it hits him, knocking the air out of his lungs, just like the last wave did. He gets thrown around like a rag doll and this time he can't swim towards the surface, his body feels paralyzed and his lungs are screaming for air. He has no chance, he has to breath in, even if it's water filling his lungs, but he can't take it anymore.

Suddenly he can hear a voice: "Iwaizumi! IWAIZUMI!"

It sounds distant but familiar, but it's too late, he opens his mouth to let the water enter...

Iwaizumi starts from his sleep and feels two hands gripping him at his shoulders, the voice from his nightmare continues to shout his name, though now sounding closer. After a few seconds of readjusting, his eyes lock with those of the person in front of him. As he recognizes the person he mutters to himself: "Am I still dreaming or am I going crazy?"


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the longest chapter I've ever written, but I already planned what I wanted in my next chapter and I had to get all the information in.  
> Also if there is anything you'd like to see in the upcoming chapters let me know and maybe I'll put your ideas in.  
> And now enjoy it!

Yes, the last few days have been hard on all of them, not just the team but also the coaches. Mizoguchi thinks about the conversation they had yesterday about the shuttle busses and that he'd go and search for Iwaizumi. To say it's been difficult to sleep would be an understatement, he hardly closed an eye and with the first rays of dawn, he was on his feet. He wouldn't argue about the fact he's been nervous about the whole situation, but well, what if he doesn't find him? What if Iwaizumi isn't there. Or worse what if he finds out that their ace is dead. How should he break the news to the team?

Those thougts have been raising his anxiety levels during the whole drive and he arrived at the hospital sooner than he would've thought. But he started his search anyways. Well, right after he processed what's going on around the hospital. Of course, he knew that it would be a bit chaotic and the hospital didn't have the resources, but he did not expect such a chaos. He did not expect hundreds of people sitting all around the hospital, no help in sight. 

The scenery is quite shocking indeed, especially after noticing that nobody out here seems to have had any medical treatment. Men and women, adults and kids, all of them are sitting here, dirty, bloody, looking as if they're left to die. 

After collecting his thoughts, Mizoguchi thinks that he should probably start his search out here nevertheless, it's just a gut feeling, but something tells him that he won't find their missing team member inside the hospital. And so he starts walking through the mass of people.

Thankfully, it's still early in the morning, meaning it's not too hard and quite a lot of people are still sleeping, but he still has enough light to identify the people around him. And something tells him that after more of the people wake up, it'll be harder to get through and get a good look at every one. Being glad about being fit overall, so he can walk a pretty fast pace, he nearly runs through the people, only slowing down when he sees somebody looking like Iwaizumi. But most of the time, it's just someone else. Nevertheless, he doesn't give up, knowing there are still hundreds of people he'll need to check.

That is until he arrives at the last row of people. He somehow made it to the end of this side of the hospital and only has to check those who are lying right underneath the trees or those who are leaning against a wall. There are already a lot more people on their feet, walking around, but he's still walking a fast pace, until he stops dead in his tracks.

Mizoguchi turns his head, not sure if he can believe his eyes.

Sitting on his left side is a teenager, who definitely looks like Iwaizumi, but the figure is not only sleeping in a way that he can only see half of his face, most of his body is dirty and bloody, but what makes him unsure the most is the fact that the boy is sitting next to a man, as if they're related. He thinks for a second not sure if he should wake the sleeping boy, even if he looks a lot like they're missing teammate. Did somebody mention his family? Didn't his father die last year?

Mizoguchi is just not sure, but he takes a step in the teenager's direction, when a voice speaks up: "Do you need help with something?"

He somehow feels like he did something wrong, as he answers the man sitting next to his possibly missing student: "Yes, I'm not sure, but I'm searching for one of my students. I'm sorry, is this your son? He is just so hard to identify."

The man's features soften a bit as he replies: "No, he is not my son, but we've been helping each other the past couple of days. What's the name of the kid you're searching for? I don't want to wake him if your're actually searching for the wrong one."

"His name is Iwaizumi Hajime, he plays for my volleyball team, I'm his coach!" Mizoguchi answers, hoping it's him.

"Well then," the man says with a smile: "you shoulde probably wake him, he's been searching for you too."

Mizoguchi sighs with relief, feeling like he could jump up and down and run all the way back to Karasuno, he can't really describe how relieved he feels to finally have found Iwaizumi, but the man speaks up again: "I wouldn't be too happy though. The kid has been through a lot, he is in rough condition and needs treatment as fast as possible."

Taking a closer look at Iwaizumi, Mizoguchi nods in return, he really looks beat down and judging by the look of his face, he also has a nightmare, but that he isn't too shure about.

Nevertheless, he gently rocks Iwaizumi's shoulders and mutters his name for a little while, when he receives no response, he shakes the teenager a bit harder and raises his voice until Iwaizumi jolts awake and stares at him through wide eyes. It takes him a few seconds to register what happens and then he stutters: "Co....coach?"

Mizoguchi smiles and holds back the tears that had formed at the back of his eyes. Suddenly Iwaizumi throws his arms around him and he mutters: "It's me Iwaizumi. I've finally found you! I'll take you to the others!"

He holds the boy close for a few moments until Iwaizumi let's go and Mizoguchi can see that he has tears in his eyes as well.

"I thought I'd never see you again! How is the team? Are they safe? Did you get caught in the tsunami? Is Oikawa okay? Where are you?"

The coach smiles as Iwaizumi throws all the questions at him, not used to one of the calmer third-graders asking so many questions, but he understands it.

"Don't worry, they're all fine! We've already been at Karasuno when the tsunami hit. And now let's get you there. We've all been really worried!"

Iwaizumi nods and then looks at the man sitting next to them: "Thank you, Nakamura. You have helped me a lot. I wish you the best!"

The man, Nakamura smiles and replies: "Thank you as well and now go with your coach! I'll be fine and so will you!"

Iwaizumi smiles back and slowly stands up, using the tree to support him and even though he is holding on to the tree, Mizoguchi can see him sway from where he is standing. Worriedly about the boy's injuries, he gets to his side and lays an arm around his waist to support him, shooting him worried glances in the process.

"Don't worry, coach. I'm just a bit dizzy, it'll go away any second!"

"He is dehydrated. Make sure he gets water as soon as possible!" Nakamura says and Mizoguchi thanks him.

Slowly and without leaving Iwaizumi's side, they make it to his car and Mizoguchi feels stupid about not bringing more water, he only has a third of a bottle, which Iwaizumi gulps down immediately, but he knows it's not enough.

The whole way back to Karasuno, he drives faster than here, hoping to make it back as fast as possible and telling Iwaizumi about what they've been doing all the time. He is concerned about the boy's condition and doesn't want him to sleep before getting checked by a doctor. And Iwaizumi just listens, nodding or humming here or there. One thing Mizoguchi doesn't tell him about is how worried everyone's been about Oikawa, not wanting to burden the kid even more.

As Karasuno is in sight, Iwaizumi interrupts him and says: "Coach, I know you want to get me to a doctor as soon as possible, but I want to see the team first!"

Mizoguchi is about to say something, but Iwaizumi stops him: "I know I need to see a doctor. But all this time, the thought about being reunited with everyone is what'S kept me going and I don't want to wait any longer! I don't care about what you have to say!"

The coach sighs and says: "Alright, I figured you'd say something like that. But only for a few minutes and then we'll go straight to the doctor, you're still not out of the woods!"

Iwaizumi nods and Mizoguchi glances at the clock, the team should be having lunch in their room at the moment, Irihata should be with them, which makes the whole situation at least a little bit easier than having to search for everyone!"

He quickly scrambles out of the car, not wanting to waste any more time until they finally get to see a doctor and helps Iwaizumi out of the car. The walk towards the classroom is silent, probably because Iwaizumi needs all of his energy to stay on his feet. Hoping the team is in the classroom and didn't decide to eat earlier or later, he stops in front of the door.

Relief floods his body once more as he can hear a few quiet voices through the closed door.

He looks at Iwaizumi: "Are you ready?"

Iwaizumi nods in determination and Mizoguchi knocks and opens the door, stepping behind the boy, as he takes a few steps into the room.

The chatter stopped as soon as everybody saw the figure standing in the door frame. Wide eyes are staring at them and everyone in the room needs a few seconds to process what's going on.

Mizoguchi isn't surprised by the first word he hears and smiles as Oikawa let's out a loud and long: "Iwa-chaaaaaan!"

The brown-haired scrambled to his feet and runs towards his best friend and Mizoguchi just waits for the hug to come, after all those straining days, the best friends would finally be reunited again. But his smile fades as he sees Iwaizumi's knees shake, his arms searching for something to hold on, but a second later Iwaizumi's body is falling...


	17. Chapter 17

Soft groans are escaping Iwaizumi's mouth as he slowly regains consciousness. His eyes are still closed, but his senses slowly come to life again. First, he can feel the pounding headache, even before he notices he is lying on something soft, which is a kinda new feeling after days of sleeping in the dirt or on the street. Next, he notices his really dry mouth and the fact that he hasn't had a lot to eat or drink over the past few days and somehow he just notices now how it affected his body and how energyless he feels.

Iwaizumi also notices the lack of pain and the general numbness and softness of his surroundings, even the chatter he can hear in the background seems soft and quiet. Confused, because in the past few days everything has been more or less loud, he decides to open his eyes. Slowly, of course, because he doesn't want to get blinded by the sun because he opens his eyes too fast. But it doesn't take him long to notice the darkness surrounding him. At first, he thinks that maybe it's night again, but after a few moments of adjusting, he notices that he is actually in a room.

Even more confused, he sits up and tries to take the setting around him in, when suddenly a pair of brown eyes appear in front of him. He doesn't even have time to flinch back like he wants to when a quiet shout fills the room.

After a short: "Iwa-chan," he can feel arms wrapping around him and his body getting pulled into a hug. It takes him a moment to realize, who is holding him close.

"Oikawa?" his voice sounds raspy and quiet, but his best friend heard him and frantically nods his head. That's when Iwaizumi also lifts his arms to hug his friend as well, at the same time he lets his eyes wander and detects three more people in the room, Irihata, Makki, and Mattsun. He is about to ask what happened and how he got here since he really didn't remember anything after going to sleep next to Nakamura when Oikawa starts talking.

"You had as all so worried, I thought I was never going to see you again and then you arrived and you blacked out and I just kinda jumped forward to catch you an that freaked me out even more, because I thought you're dead and then you show up just to collapse in my arms and I didn't know what to do, but luckily Mizoguchi ran to get a doctor and then he helped you and now you're awake and I'm so relieved because I've missed you so damn much," his best friend rambles without taking a break to breathe. After he finished, Oikawa leans back to look him in the eyes.

"I was so scared, Iwa-chan!" and for once, Iwaizumi doesn't know how to respond as he notices how tired his friend looks and he can see tears filling his eyes, shoving his confusion back for another moment, he pulls Oikawa in again.

"I know! Me too!" is all he says.

As he wants to readjust his arms, he suddenly feels something poking his arm, he lets go of Oikawa to examine his arms.

The thing that poked him in his right arm is an IV, which is hooked up to some sort of liquid hanging in a back next to him. The injured arm isn't covered by his dirty self-made bandage, but instead, it is wrapped up neatly in a new white bandage, going all the way from his left hand to the shoulder. When he sat up, the blanket, which was covering him, fell down and he just notices that he isn't wearing a shirt, and for the first time since the tsunami hit, he takes a look at his stomach, which is covered in black and blue bruises, with some cuts here and there. He tiredly rubs his eyes, trying to take all the information in, when the door opens and a man he's never seen before walks into the room.

As the stranger notices that Iwaizumi is awake, he smiles kindly and crouches down next to him.

"Hello there, my name is Naruto Watanabe, I'm the doctor, who took care of your injuries." He holds his hand out and Iwaizumi shakes it.

"You had us pretty worried for a second when you passed out. Your body was so dehydrated, that you were really close to an exsiccosis, which would mean that your body has dried out. We immediately hooked you up to an IV to get some liquid in your systems and in the meantime I had a closer look at your injuries. Except for your arm, you were pretty lucky, only minor scrapes and a few contusions, but nothing to worry about, that will heal with time. Your arm was cut open pretty good, though your improvised bandage was containing your blood loss and the injury luckily wasn't infected, a blessing in disguise. It luckily didn't require stitches, so we cleaned it up and put a new bandage around it. Do you have any questions?"

His brain is still busy processing all the information, but he shakes his head, the question he has is one for his team or his coach and there is no reason to keep the doctor occupied even longer.

"Good, now that you're awake, we'll be able to take the IV out," the doctor informs him and a second later does as he said. "Make sure to drink a lot and also eat something and your body needs to rest as well, try to take it easy the following days and make sure to get that bandage changed at least once a day!" He stands up and with a quick nod towards Irihata, he leaves again.

Before anyone can break the silence, Iwaizumi speaks up: "It's really great to see all of you, but how exactly did I get here?"

"You don't remember?" Oikawa asks and Iwaizumi shakes his head as response. Irihata takes it upon himself to inform him about Mizoguchi picking him up and driving here and the more his coach says, the more he can remember.

"So, how are you feeling?" Oikawa asks as their coach finished.

Iwaizumi shrugs his shoulder: "Weird, I think I'm hungry and I'm pretty tired, but I'm glad to be here. It's been hell out there!"

"We're really happy you're here too, you had us all worried, man. It's so good to see you!" Mattsun says and Makki nods in agreement.

Coach Irihata stands up from where he was sitting and says: "I'll bring you some food, is there anything else you need, Iwaizumi?"

"I don't know, a shirt would be really nice though," Irihata nods with a smile and the leaves the room.

Then Mattsun breaky the silence: "You know, it's been really tough here too, probably by far not as tough as it has been for you, but we were all going crazy, while not knowing where you are and if we'd see you again. It's been hard on the whole team."

"I assume it was, you all look like shit!" Iwaizumi states and his friends smile at his joke.

"You're one to talk," Makki counters and they all laugh a bit.

After a few seconds, Iwaizumi becomes serious again: "For real though, the past couple of days have been tough," he touches his parent's rings hanging from his neck: "But I'm glad to be here, you guys are what kept me going, I just wanted to make it to you and be reunited again!"

Nobody questioned anything about his statement, not even the rings hanging from his neck, they all know that now is not the time to talk about it. Now it's time to celebrate their reunion and the fact, that the team is complete again.

Simultaneously, Oikawa, Mattsun, and Makki throw their arms around him to give him a big hug and for the first time since the disaster started, Iwaizumi feels safe again!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope I will be able to release a Chapter on Friday because I'm dealing with massive writer block over here...


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a hard time writing this Chapter, which is why I'm late, though it's still Friday!  
> Anyway, sorry for the delay, but I'm having a really hard time writing at the moment.  
> After all this Chapter turned out to be one of the longest, take it as an apology for being slightly late.

I's been the first night since the tsunami that Oikawa actually managed to have a decent amount of sleep, he occasionally woke up and checked his side, making sure it's not just a dream, but his best friend has always been next to him, sleeping peacefully. As he wakes up to the sun slightly making it's way up and starting to brighten the room, he takes a more furrow look at his sleeping friend.

It doesn't take him very long to notice that Iwaizumi probably has a nightmare, his face all scrunched up and looking slightly pain-written. Thinking back on the last couple of days, it's probably how his face looked most of the time since the setter can't really think about a night he spent without waking up to a nightmare, most of which involving his best friend and the tsunami. He sighs and decides to wake his friend, to put him out of his misery.

He gently touches Iwaizumi's shoulder and whispers his name, not wanting to wake the others, whenever Oikawa has a nightmare, he doesn't want the others to know, so Iwaizumi is the only one to know about them and occasionally Makki and Mattsun.

After a while, he decides to push Iwa-chan's shoulder with a bit more force, since he didn't wake up yet and judging by the look on his face, the nightmare seemed to have gotten worse. It took him a push to his friend's shoulder and a rather loud "Iwa-chan" to get a reaction, though he didn't expect him to shoot up into a sitting position, nearly headbutting Oikawa in the process, if he hadn't jerked his head back fast enough.

"Hey, Iwa-chan, it's okay, you're save, you're with me," Oikawa tried to comfort his slightly panting friend as his eyes moved around the room disorientated until he locked eyes with Oikawa. It took Iwaizumi a second to process everything before he rubs his face with one hand and letting out a deep breath.

"Th-thanks for waking me!" he whispers with a stutter after noticing that they are the only ones to be awake yet, even though the rest of the team slowly started to stir as well.

"You always wake me, so don't bother thanking me, since you never accept it when I thank you. It's part of our friendship to help the other one when he is down, so there is no need to thank me," Oikawa replies with a faint smirk as he repeats the words his friend said to him once and which he has never forgotten.

Iwaizumi smiles sheepishly and rubs his neck, blush creeping into his cheeks.

"Though you also make me talk about what I dreamed after calming me, seeing you don't need to be calmed down anymore, wanna talk about it?" Oikawa continues a little bit unsure, he can't remember a time when Iwa-chan had a nightmare and needed comfort, it's always been the other way 'round. To say it makes the setter feel uncomfortable to be in the other role, would be an understatement. He isn't sure how far he can push his friend and he can't seem to find the right words, although he has been on the receiving end of this sort of talk quite often.

Iwaizumi sighs and lets his eyes wander around the room, taking everything in and then replies: "Not now, I...uh...I'll tell you later, okay? I don't want to talk about it yet, not here and not now!"

After thinking for a moment, Oikawa nods, he isn't going to press his friend into talking, not after he had to live through a traumatic experience, instead he throws his arms around his childhood friend and embraces him in a tight hug, whispering: "I'm so glad to have you at my side again!"

\---

The day went by quite eventless. After the whole team was up, they all fetched breakfast, everyone being more relaxed, now that Iwaizumi is with them. Especially the first and second years seem to have way more energy as they make sure their teammate always has everything he needs and telling him stories. Oikawa always stayed next to his best friend, just to reassure himself here and there that Iwaizumi was really here and he doesn't plan on leaving his side all too soon either. That's why he joins Iwaizumi as he wants to go out to get some fresh air after staying in the same room the whole day.

Once they're outside, Oikawa drags him onto the roof, which he found as his favorite place when he wanted some peace. From up there you could see the whole area surrounding the school and you're not too far up so you can also identify people if necessary. Iwaizumi sends him a small smile while sitting down, though Oikawa notices that it doesn't reach his eyes. He doesn't push it though and just sits silently at his side just looking at what's going down below them.

Their comfortable silence lasts until they hear a children's laughter, shortly after that they see a little boy running out of the shadows, followed by a woman. Oikawa smiles a bit at what he sees, knowing the boy was just reunited with his mom a few days ago after coming here with his dad, Oikawa watched them happily as they hugged each other closely and was glad to watch the family reunion.

He smiles fondly at the memory until he can hear a sniffle coming from his side and a thought crosses his mind immediately after that, silently cursing himself why he hasn't noticed sooner, he turns to his friend, opening his mouth to ask him the question that just came up, but he closes it not even a second later at the sight of his friend watching the scene below them while tears start streaming down his face.

Shock radiates through his entire body as he softly mumbles: "Iwa-chan? What's wrong?"

Iwaizumi quickly tries to wipe away the tears, but new ones soon replace them and he turns his head away: "I...I don't..." Another sob escapes his mouth and Oikawa immediately scoots closer and throws his arms around his best friend's body, who is going stiff at the gesture.

"Come on, Iwa-chan. Tell me what's wrong!" Oikawa whispers in his ear, but his friend just shakes his head.

The setter sighs and moves so he sits in front of his childhood friend, who has his head buried in his hands. He hesitates a second, not sure what to do since it's something different to see Iwaizumi cry, he is the pillar, who hardly cries.

Oikawa gently cradles his friend's arms and waits until Iwaizumi lifts his head to look at him. He gently leans forward, letting his forehead rest on Iwaizumi's and waits a few moments before he starts talking: "Listen, Iwa-chan! I know there is something bothering you, okay? I know that you are hurting and I want to help you, but I can't do that if you're not telling me what's wrong!"

Silence follows his statement and Oikawa is convinced Iwaizumi isn't going to answer when he suddenly speaks up: "It's my f-fault. It's all my fault!"

Oikawa flinches slightly at the pain in his friend's voice and hesitantly asks: "What's your fault, Iwa-chan?"

The wing spiker takes a few breaths, before he pulls back a bit, bringing some distance between their heads again, though he doesn't meet his eyes as he says: "My...my mom. S-she died because of me!"

Tears start to well up in Oikawa's eyes as well now. Iwa-chan's mother has always been like a second mother to him, hearing that she dies just hit him really hard as well, but he knows that it hit his friend even harder, possibly even seeing his own mother's death and he couldn't imagine the pain that he must be feeling right now. Oikawa was just about to reply, telling him it's for sure not his fault, as Iwaizumi continues.

"I tried to carry her! But-But she was just too heavy and I-I was so tired and everything hurt my mom demanded on taking a break. I shouldn't have stopped! She died because I couldn't carry her to the hospital! I failed her! I just had to get her there and I failed and now she is dead! All because of me! Because I'm weak!" This time anger and guilt accompanied the pain in Iwaizumi's voice as he half-shouted at Oikawa.

It takes him a few moments to realize what his friend had just said and some more to try and find the right words: "No, don't think that! I've seen your injury, Iwa-chan. You were severely hurt, you went through a traumatic experience and your body just couldn't do it! I know you tried your best and I'm sure your mom knows that as well! You're one of the strongest people I know, Iwa-chan! Don't blame that on you, there was nothing more you could've done!"

"But-but..." Iwaizumi stutters, but Oikawa shuts him down.

"No but! I don't know what happened, but I know you and your mom! I know you did everything you possibly could, you probably pushed yourself beyond your limits to try and keep her safe. It was her time to go and she probably knew that! Imagine you wouldn't have stopped and then tripped and fall because you were so exhausted, you could have seriously injured yourself as well. I know it hurts, but don't blame yourself! The only one to blame is the tsunami and that's it! You did your best!"

"Just that my best wasn't enough!"

"No, that's not how you should look at it! It was her time to go and you couldn't have done anything to stop that!"

Slowly Iwaizumi lifts his eyes off the floor, glancing at Oikawa: "But I miss her, Oikawa! I miss her!"

New tears start falling down his face as Oikawa holds him tight again: "I know it does. But I'm here and I'll guide you through the pain, I won't leave your side! Together we'll manage to pull through this! You just have to believe me!"


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously, it took me a while to complete this story, but I didn't feel like I was in the right headspace, that is until I reread it and decided to finally finish it. I'm sorry to keep y'all waiting for so long, but I'm kinda happy to be able to finish it.

"I never thought I would say that, but it actually felt pretty good to just breakdown and let it all out. Though I'm sorry that you had to witness it, Oikawa. And I'm sorry for crying on you!" Iwaizumi says after pulling back from Oikawa's bone-crushing hug, which seemed to have lasted forever. Then he sheepishly wipes away the last tears and tries to regain his composure, feeling slightly anxious and self-conscious about his breakdown.

Feeling Oikawa's hand on his shoulder makes him look up and focus on his best friend again, who answers: "You know it's okay to cry, don't you? All my life you've been here for me and you've always been watching out for me, you are clearly the stronger one of us. But being strong doesn't mean you can't cry and let your emotions show. Because I think it's actually way stronger to be able to express yourself rather than shoving everything in the back of your head!"

He pauses for a moment, clearly trying to come up with the right words and Iwaizumi doesn't stop him, though he is already thinking about what his best friend just said.

"Look...What I'm trying to say is, that you don't have to apologize for crying. Emotions are what makes us human and it's okay to allow yourself to feel, especially after living through a traumatic experience as you did. And I want you to know that no matter what happens, I'll be here for you. You've seen me at my best, but also at my best and you know why? Because you're my best friend and I know that I can trust you and be myself. I want you to remember that I'm here for you in the same way you are here for me! That's what best friends are here for!"

Oikawa ends his dialogue with a small, but genuine smile and Iwaizumi can't help himself, but return it: "Thank you, Oikawa. Really, I appreciate it!"

He gently squeezes the hand still lying on his shoulder and adds, an evil grin making its way on his face: "I think that's probably the smartest thing you've ever said. Glad to know it's not just trash that leaves your mouth."

"I'm not even sure if I should be flattered or offended by your words," Oikawa answers, and both of them start to laugh, the tension falling off their bodies. The grief and sorrow are forgotten for a moment and they feel like normal teenagers again.

They silently sit on the roof for a few more minutes just enjoying each other's company before they decide to go down again since they don't want the others to worry.

The rest of the day passes by relatively quickly since everyone wants to spend time with their lost teammate and nobody wants to leave his side for as long as possible and they end up chatting and playing various games without worrying about what has happened or what's to come. And for a few hours, Iwaizumi feels like a normal teenager again.

\---

Of course, the next day he had to break the news of being an orphan to his coaches. Thankfully though, he had Oikawa standing next to him during his explanations, giving him strength and he doesn't break down like he did the day before. Both coaches expressed their grief and made sure that Iwaizumi knew he could come to them whenever he needed to and reassured him that everything will turn out okay in the end and that they will figure something out. It did make him tear up even more than before, knowing his coaches felt so strongly about him and he made sure to thank them, even though both men said he didn't need to. Together they decided not to tell the team though, because Iwaizumi just didn't feel like it was the right thing to do, so the only ones knowing about it are the third-years and their coaches.

\---

It took another two days for the situation to become clearer and on the morning of the third day, the coaches decided that it's time to leave Karasuno and drive home, even if it would take them nearly a day to travel. But they helped wherever they could and now there are people from around the world, professionals, who know how to deal with these kinds of situations, and the team was ready to go home and reunited with their families.

Oikawa's parents had a long face time call with Oikawa, Iwaizumi, and Irihata and they decided that Iwaizumi would stay with them for a while, so he could have a familiar setting while working everything out. Both boys were equally excited, well as excited as they could be according to the circumstances. Of course, such a catastrophe is always a negative thing, but that doesn't mean there are no positive sites to it, the team grew a lot closer, Iwaizumi finally accepted the fact that he doesn't have to be strong all the time and Oikawa learned how to be there for his friend if he ever needed him. It took two months of a lot of changes, tears, and mourning, but also small victories before everything kind of settled into a new reality.

And not long after that Seijoh found themselves on the court again, facing Karasuno and Iwaizumi saw it as the end of one chapter and the beginning of a new one as he placed a kiss on his parent's rings and sending a small prayer out to them, knowing they're watching from above, before stepping out of their locker room to go to the court, not scared of looking back, but also embracing the future...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been awesome writing for you and I loved being able to communicate with you and read all your nice comments. So, thank you all and I hope you enjoyed this last chapter, half of which I wrote in May, but the last few paragraphs were missing. But you deserved an ending so I decided to finally sit down again and here we are now.
> 
> Thank you all and stay safe!


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